Hampstead outlines $30.8 million plan to centralize PFAS treatment; pipeline work to begin

HAMPSTEAD, Md. — Town officials on Tuesday described a $30,843,917 project to centralize drinking-water treatment and remove PFAS from multiple wells, saying pipeline construction will begin in late August and the full pipeline scope is expected to finish by mid-2026.

Mayor Chris Nevin opened the public hearing by saying, "We're gonna talk about the PFAS treatment and centralization project," and town staff then reviewed the chronology, system changes and financing for the multi-year effort.

The project responds to PFAS detections first sampled in 2020. Kevin Hann, supervisor of public works, said Maryland Department of the Environment staff contacted him on Nov. 18, 2020 and told him, "you've gotta turn wells 24 and 25 off. They are over the health action limit," and the town immediately took those wells out of service. Officials said the EPA set a maximum contaminant level of 4 parts per trillion for PFAS in June 2022; that threshold expanded the number of affected wells and prompted the town to pursue centralized treatment.

Toby David, assistant superintendent of public works, summarized the system and scope: the town serves just under 6,300 people with a little more than 2,200 water service connections, and the system pumped about 353,000 gallons per day in 2024. He said the plan will add new sources and treatment capacity and called it "probably the biggest public works project the town has ever, taken under its wing." The engineering design calls for three new water-treatment plants, one addition to an existing…