Voters in Jaffrey will decide in March whether to take out a bond or loan for $100,000 as part of a multimillion dollar project to build a filtration system to bring one of the town’s wells back online after testing revealed the well did not meet recently tightened drinking water standards.
During a public hearing on Monday night, Jaffrey Select Board members explained that one of the town wells, located on Turnpike Road, has been shut off since April 2021. Building a filtration system to bring the well back online is expected to cost the town upwards of $10 million, the majority of which would be provided by grants or loans from the state Department of Environmental Services Revolving Fund and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Remediation Grant and Loan Fund.
According to Jaffrey officials, the well was taken offline after the state Department of Environmental Services lowered acceptable thresholds for maximum contaminant levels for both manganese and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
PFAS are a group of chemicals used in manufacturing coatings that are resistant to heat, oil, stains, grease and water. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PFAS does not break down in the environment, and can build up in fish and wildlife in contaminated soils or through contaminated drinking water sources. Exposure to large amounts can affect growth and development, including reproduction, thyroid function, liver function and the immune system in animal studies.
Town Manager Jon Frederick said the town has not concretely determined what caused the PFAS contamination of the well, but said it may be from use of firefighting foam at the Jaffrey Fire Department, which is located nearby, despite the fact that the use of those chemicals was discontinued decades ago.
“That’s why these are called ‘forever chemicals,’” said board Chair Frank Sterling.
Frederick said testing of the Turnpike Well has not always shown levels of PFAS over what is allowed by the state, but the well was taken offline after a spike in levels in some tests. It has been offline since.
“It’s a thorny problem, and it’s going to be expensive to fix,” Sterling said.
A second well, also located on Turnpike Road, draws from a different source and has been in operation. Selectman Kevin Chamberlain questioned whether a filtration system, if built, would be able to also treat water from the second Turnpike Well if that ever also became contaminated. Frederick said the town would have to look into that possibility.
Water access has been an ongoing conversation in Jaffrey for years, and the town has partnered with the neighboring town of Peterborough to purchase a property with three drilled wells on the Jaffrey and Sharon town line, known as Cold Stone Springs, and expects to begin building a new water treatment plant on the site this year.
“We’ve been looking for additional water sources for a long time,” Sterling said.
Sterling said that even without the additional water source from Cold Stone Springs, the town has sufficient water supply from its other wells to meet the current demand without the Turnpike Well.
“Even with the one Turnpike Well offline, we have no problem supplying water needs to any of our customers,” Sterling said.
Frederick urged voters to approve the bond, noting that the project was expected to cost millions of dollars, and said the town has already been approved for state funding to cover the majority of the cost.
The town expects to use up to $37,132 from the town’s water fund, if grants and loans don’t cover the cost.
Any town funding for the project is expected to come from water user fees, not the tax base.
Selectman Jack Belletete clarified that the state is requiring the town to mitigate the contaminants, without having the option to permanently take the well offline.
Voting on the bond will take place at Town Meeting on March 18. To pass, the vote requires three-fifths approval.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.