There have been two updates related to PFAS improvements and remediation shared during public meetings in Ayer this month.
Clearwell
The DPW has been working on a Clearwell Storage Tank and Finished Pumping Station to mitigate water pumping capacity issues caused by the Grove Pond PFAS Treatment Plant.
On Jan. 20th, the DPW Director appeared before the Select Board and requested approval for a $29,800 change order. This includes a 53-day extension due to a delay with National Grid, and covers fencing and other items. The contract now comes to roughly $4.65 million, according to page 27 of the 66-page meeting packet.
This project should be substantially complete by May, the director said.
PFAS was first found in the Town of Ayer’s water supply in 2016, according to the town’s website. This was linked to firefighting foam that the military used on Devens. The U.S. Army went onto fund construction of the Grove Pond PFAS treatment plant to address this.
But this operation had an adverse effect and reduced the town’s water pumping capacity. Now, the Clearwell is the town’s plan to address this. Again, the U.S. Army is working with the DPW and funding this.
PFAS Class Action Lawsuits
Earlier in the month, the DPW withdrew two capital requests totaling $425,000 for media replacements for the PFAS treatment plants at Grove Pond and Spectacle Pond.
On Jan. 8th, the DPW Director told the Capital Planning Committee that the town had received PFAS-litigation funds and recommended using these to pay for the media replacements. The litigation funds must be used for PFAS-related costs and this will save Ayer’s water rate payers from having to pay the expense.
The town management also noted this at the Jan. 15th Finance Committee meeting. He said the town is in a class-action lawsuit related to PFAS remediation and to date, has received $1.8 million in settlement funds. See the APAC media video, starting at 5:42 min.
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A resident asked us to write this update. We’re just sharing what we saw at the meetings we already attended; we didn’t do any additional research.
Here is the Town of Ayer’s web page for updates on the Clearwell Storage project.