Selectmen release groundwater-management RFP in PFAS probe; board debates keeping bottled water for town employees

The Kingston Board of Selectmen voted March 17 to release a request for proposals (RFP) for a Groundwater Management Plan that will expand the town’s PFAS investigation and support installation of monitoring wells and other testing required by state regulators.

Town staff said the RFP and associated work plan were prepared by the town’s consultant, Sanborn Head, and reviewed by town counsel. The document sets a sealed-bid deadline of April 18 at noon. The RFP is intended to define a delineated groundwater-management area, install monitoring wells and clarify flow patterns to help the town and state agencies better understand the extent of contamination.

Sanborn Head provided guidance to the board about notification responsibilities after a test result at a commercial property across from Town Hall prompted immediate outreach. Sanborn Head’s written guidance, read at the meeting, noted that under the state investigation rules (ENV OR 600 series), the responsible party — here, the town — carries notification duties for groundwater quality violations and that, for non-transient non-community water systems, the property owner/operator must notify their own tenants under the public-water-system rules. Sanborn Head recommended deferring any legal ambiguity about town health-officer responsibilities to town counsel.

The groundwater RFP passed on a unanimous voice vote. Board members asked staff to post the RFP and to accept proposals per the timetable in the packet.

After discussion about recent private-well and commercial tests and while the groundwater work proceeds, the board then debated whether to continue town-funded bottled water in municipal buildings. The selectmen had previously authorized point-of-entry (POET) treatment systems in town buildings; staff said tests taken after installation show the treated lines are free of PFAS. Some board members argued that continuing bottled water is redundant if taps are treated and tested; others said bottled water is a low-cost measure that provides employee peace of mind and is budgeted for roughly $2,800 annually.

After roughly an hour of discussion, the board voted 3–2 to continue purchasing bottled water for town buildings. The vote was not unanimous; board members noted a tension between providing staff reassurance and the consistency of policy for residents who do not receive bottled deliveries to private homes.

The board also discussed communication procedures after a possible exceedance was reported at a commercial property and asked staff to clarify roles between the select board’s representative, the town’s health officer and state contacts so future notifications are distributed rapidly and to appropriate parties.

Next steps: the selectmen instructed staff to post the RFP and receive proposals by the published deadline; the fire-station investigation and any follow-up private-well sampling will continue, and Sanborn Head and town counsel will advise on notification and legal questions as needed.