Yarmouth selects letter to state urging expanded PFAS testing, asks DEP to sample shellfish

The Yarmouth Select Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to send a draft letter, prepared by consulting firm Kleinfelder, to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection asking DEP to press for more investigation into PFAS contamination and to consider sampling fish and shellfish in waterways that may be impacted.

The letter, presented to the board by Nathan Stephens of Kleinfelder, says PFAS compounds have been detected in surface waters in Yarmouth and “appear to be related to either the Firefighting Training Academy and or the airport.” Stephens told the board the detection of airport-related PFAS in town waters indicates the airport has not completed delineation of impacts and that additional investigation is warranted. The draft asks DEP to require the responsible parties to continue their investigations and to consider tissue sampling of fish and shellfish as part of any human-health and ecological risk assessment.

Why it matters: PFAS are persistent chemicals linked to human-health concerns. Stephens told the board there are no DEP regulatory standards for PFAS in shellfish tissue, making the request for shellfish testing an especially assertive ask. Board members said they wanted the letter to state explicitly that it is being submitted on behalf of the Select Board and to remove any trailing questions so DEP understands the town is requesting tissue testing rather than merely asking whether it is appropriate.

Board action and language changes: Select Board member Tracy Post made a motion to endorse the draft letter with two specific edits — (1) state at the start that the letter is submitted on behalf of the Yarmouth Select Board and (2) change the final sentence so it is a direct request that DEP require tissue sampling rather than phrasing it as a question. The board voted in favor of the motion; the chair directed staff to forward the revised letter to Kleinfelder for final edits and then to DEP.

What was said: Nathan Stephens (Kleinfelder consultant) summarized the draft and told the board that, because PFAS compounds tied to the airport are appearing in town surface waters, "the airport specifically has not completed the delineation of their impacts." Stephens also said, "Because PFAS compounds have been detected in shellfish elsewhere on The Cape ... we are essentially asking DEP ... whether it would be potentially appropriate for them to consider sampling fish and or shellfish in that surface water body." Select Board members asked that the letter be clearer and more directive before it is sent.

Next steps: Kleinfelder will incorporate the Select Board’s edits and staff said the town will send the revised letter to DEP and copy Kleinfelder. The board did not direct any immediate enforcement action; the letter is a request that DEP use its regulatory authority to require additional investigation and, where appropriate, tissue sampling.