At the February 2023 Town Meeting and May 2023 ballot vote, voters approved connecting Harvard’s town center public water system to Devens water. At the April 24 Select Board meeting, Water and Sewer Commission Chair Cindy Russo informed the Select Board that the bids for the project have come in $2.3 million over appropriation. Most of this increase is the result of new regulatory requirements. Now Harvard will be asked to approve additional debt at a Special Town Meeting May 14.
The Harvard Board of Health is responsible for regulating private wells in Harvard; public water systems are regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Based on our knowledge of water quality, the Board of Health strongly supports the connection to Devens, despite the additional cost.
PFAS has been detected in the town center water system since testing was first done in 2019. While the current PFAS concentrations are below Environmental Protection Agency and MassDEP drinking water standards, the standards are likely to change in the future.
If Harvard delays or doesn’t connect to the Devens system, Harvard will need to build and operate a water treatment facility to continue to use our town center wells. This facility would need to remain compliant with all future changes in EPA and MassDEP drinking water standards as the science and knowledge around PFAS chemicals evolve. We can expect EPA and MassDEP to add additional PFAS contaminants to the list. Harvard can’t afford to be in the water treatment business.
Because of the EPA’s new maximum contaminant levels for PFAS, public water systems across the country will need to upgrade their water treatment plants. Demand for this type of work is surging, as are costs. Harvard’s project is in the queue. If we delay, project costs will be significantly higher and we can’t predict when the work might be done. There is significant financial risk in delaying the connection project.
Water from the Devens water treatment system complies with EPA and MassDEP drinking water standards now and will in the future. Harvard’s water supply needs to be compliant within the next five years. Now is the time to move.
Chris Mitchell, Sharon McCarthy, and Libby Levison
Harvard Board of Health
