'Forever Chemicals' In Sudbury: Town Water Official Addresses Risk

SUDBURY, MA — A new program airing on SudburyTV will help local residents decode the threat posed by PFAS chemicals, which have been detected in drinking water sources across the state under a new testing law.

The forum “Should I Be Worried? PFAS in Sudbury,” sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Sudbury, was held March 11 and featured Sudbury Water District Executive Director Vincent Roy talking about how the town is controlling the spread of the so-called "forever chemicals." The group of chemicals known as PFAS6 have infiltrated water supplies across the U.S. after decades of use in industrial and consumer products — including nonstick pans, GoreTex jackets and firefighting foam.

Under a new state law, Sudbury began testing drinking water in 2021 for PFAS. The town has only detected PFAS levels above the state threshold three times in 2021 and 2022, but some drinking water sources haves tested very close to the threshold, according to state data.

According to Roy, the town has set aside $10 million to set up filters that can remove PFAS chemicals. The first will be set up at the Raymond Road water treatment plant as soon as April. The filters will use carbon, but towns including Wayland and Natick have used resin-based PFAS systems.

The Raymond Road plant has averaged PFAS levels of about 13.2 nanograms per-liter (ng/L) over 37 tests between 2021 and this winter. The state threshold is 20 ng/L.

The PFAS program also includes MASSPIRG legislative director Deirdre Cummings, and League of Women Voters natural resources legislation specialist Carolyn Lee. Both Lee and Cummings are in favor of a bill up for debate in the state Legislature (H.1297/S.1356) that would ban the sale of PFAS-containing products in the state.

You can watch the PFAS forum on SudburyTV here.