State considers Weston’s plan to address drinking water issues
WESTON — The town is one step closer to cleaner drinking water.
The state Department of Public Health is expected to make a decision this week on the town's final remediation design to remove perand polyfluoroakyl substances, or PFAS, detected in the town's drinking water .
Weston installed a prototype remediation system a few weeks ago, which First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor said in an update “has been able to dramatically reduce PFAS levels in the drinking water.” The state is now reviewing the final remediation design on it, submitted by the town's certified operator, Water System Solution and Design, Inc. If approved, the town can buy and install a permanent remediation system.
“Our remediation system filters the PFAS to nondetectible levels,” Nestor said Monday. “Once it's approved, we will purchase the whole system and we will be able to install it permanently.” Nestor said the town has two water systems that need to be renovated because they're old.
The state revolving fund will be used to fund the replacement of the water system.
Town officials reached out to the state health department ahead of doing any work on the systems and were recommended to test for PFAS, which is not part of regular municipality water testing.
After testing in December and January, PFAS were detected in the well that provides drinking water to the school district and other municipal buildings within the town center.
According to officials, “PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals that have been used in a variety of products, including nonstick cookware, food packaging, upholstered furniture, clothing, and firefighting foam. They have been made and used in the United States since the 1940s.”
After the detection, bottled water was provided to people in those buildings and the school cafeterias for drinking and cooking.
“My hope is that by the time all the kids are back in school, we'll be up and running again,” Nestor said.
Nestor said it's a small amount of contaminants in the water. She added they don't know why the PFAS are there yet, but hope to find the cause as the new remediation system is used.
“We're first focused on fixing it,” she said. “We want to resolve the problem, and wherever the contamination may be coming from, the filtration system removes all the PFAS.”
Nestor also said that the water cannot be recontaminated because the filters will take away the PFAS within it. It is easily filtered out with carbon filters.
“As a town, we don't want to add to the amount of PFAS going into peoples' systems,” she said.
Nestor also said that the town is working hand-inhand with the DPH throughout this process, and they are trying to be a model for other towns to follow.
“When you find it, you remedy it, and you take the right course of action to remove it,” she said.
Another water system being addressed in Weston, the Ravenwood Water System, was recently approved as part of the ARPA funds and will occur after this remediation.