• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School news
  • Pre-schools in Wellesley
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Business news
  • Embracing diversity
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Worship
  • POPS Senior Profiles
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Live gov’t meetings
  • Events
  • About us
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Enough with PFAS: Wellesley’s Morses Pond treatment plant back in action

June 17, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley’s interim system for getting rid of nasty chemicals dubbed PFAS6 from the water processed by its Morses Pond treatment plant has done the trick, and the plant is set to go back online this Saturday, June 18. The plant has been shut down since May of 2021 after elevated levels of these forever chemicals was detected in the town’s drinking water from four groundwater wells.

Town Meeting approved $1.5M to install the mitigation system, and the town was able to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover the cost of the system, expected to run for about 16 months. While taxpayers got off easy there, the purchase of Per- and PolyFluoroAlkyl Substances (PFAS)-free but pricier water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) will lead to a steep hike in water bills.

And just because the plant is going back online and PFAS6 is now at a non-detect level doesn’t mean residents and businesses can run their sprinklers around the clock. The Morses Pond treatment plant will only be operating at about 40% capacity, so outdoor watering restrictions are back in place likely throughout summer.

The Department of Public Works will seek to recommend a long-term solution to the PFAS problem at an upcoming Special or Annual Town Meeting. It originally looked as though the town might implement a $5M-plus permanent system, but it reconsidered in light of other possible options, including working with the MWRA on a way to get more water from it. PFAS mitigation is a moving target, as the state and feds mull broader testing.

Also underway are efforts to determine the source of PFAS in Wellesley’s water.

water treatment morses pfas temp
PFAS mitigation gear at Morses Pond treatment facility

  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please support our independent journalism venture
image_print

Filed Under: Health

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley, Lockheart
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs, Wellesley
Volvo
Prepped and Polished Boston Tutoring and Test Prep
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
Mature Caregivers
charles river chamber
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Friday is letters-to-the-editor day on The Swellesley Report
  • UU Wellesley Hills to install & celebrate new minister
  • Wellesley Public Schools news: Last day is official; Advisory won't investigate; Evolutions showcase
  • Taylor Swift Makes a Triumphant Return to Gillette Stadium

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Upcoming Events

Jun 1
10:00 am - 11:00 am

MBTA online meeting about future of service

Jun 1
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Artist reception at Tolles Parsons Center in Wellesley

Jun 3
9:00 am - 10:00 am

Hemlock Gorge & Echo Bridge guided walk

Jun 3
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Free event: Big Joe the Storyteller in Linden Square

Jun 3
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Free event: Big Joe the Storyteller in Wellesley Square

View Calendar

Recent Comments

  • Bob Brown on New Wellesley Square high rise is for the birds
  • Mauyra on New Wellesley Square high rise is for the birds
  • Ellen on Wellesley Rec to make pickleball rec to schools, NRC
  • Agility on Wellesley’s Cliff Estates gets its turn with proposed condo development
  • Ken O'Connor on Wellesley Dumps Standards-Based Grading

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group
Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
  • support swellesley
  • swellesley reach ad
Rick Cram, leader

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login