Residents and environmental advocates pressed the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to act on per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) they say are entering Manchester’s wastewater treatment plant and being released into the Merrimack River and air via the plant’s on‑site incinerator.

Sarah Katz, a Ward 3 resident who canvassed city neighborhoods, told aldermen she had gathered more than 170 petition signatures urging an amendment to the city’s sewer use ordinance that would establish PFAS monitoring and reduction requirements for industrial sources sending wastewater to the plant. “PFAS chemicals are linked to serious health impacts, including cancer, damage to the immune system, reproductive issues, and developmental delays in children,” Katz said.

Jessica Martison, who also testified, noted the plant’s incinerator is the only one of its kind in New Hampshire and is sited near homes, a baseball field and an elementary school. She asked the board to “require upstream PFAS reduction to curb PFAS coming into the plant from industrial sources” and suggested including the municipal landfill in any efforts to reduce PFAS inflows.

Speakers cited RSA 485‑A‑5(e) as enabling the board to amend sewer use rules. The board did not take a formal vote on PFAS measures during the meeting but received the petition and public comment; public commenters urged the board to consider draft language they had previously submitted to city staff.