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MassDEP outlines approach to PFAS in private wells and public water at advisory meeting
Summary
MassDEP staff described how the agency is handling PFAS detections in private wells and public water systems, what triggers reporting under the Massachusetts regulations, and steps the agency takes for immediate mitigation and source discovery.
At a MassDEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup (BWSC) Wayside Cleanup Advisory Committee meeting, John Ziegler, the statewide PFAS coordinator in the department's Policy and Program Development division, described how MassDEP handles PFAS detections in private wells and public water systems and what triggers departmental action.
Ziegler said the department treats private wells differently than public systems: "MassDEP does not regulate private wells; they are regulated by the local board of health," but added that when PFAS results meet the state's reportable levels they inform MassDEP's source-discovery work. He noted that the state drinking-water level for the six PFAS compounds (PFAS-6) is 20 parts per trillion (ppt) and that the MCP imminent-hazard threshold is 90 ppt.
Why it matters: Private well owners and municipal water suppliers have different reporting and regulatory paths, but any result at or above 20 ppt helps MassDEP…
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