Barnstable County health department asks for new lab staff and readies PFAS testing as private‑well demand rises

Erica Woods, interim director of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, told the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 15 that the department plans to expand laboratory staff and services to handle a growing volume of water and public‑health tests, including PFAS analysis for private wells.

Woods said the department projects $1.1 million in lab revenue for fiscal 2026, about $250,000 more than current projections, and asked commissioners to approve new positions to maintain turnaround times and quality control as demand increases. "We really feel that a full time laboratory assistant director would be beneficial to the whole operations of the laboratory," Woods said, describing the current laboratory director’s workload as “overburdened.”

The request comes as the county prepares an in‑house capability to analyze PFAS using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS) acquired with ARPA funds. Woods said the lab has passed required proficiency tests; the remaining certification steps hinge on paperwork and a state site visit. Until that is complete the county continues to send PFAS samples out to contractor labs.

Why it matters: County staff said private‑well testing demand is rising as residents ask about PFAS exposure. The department is proposing new staff to avoid longer turnaround times and to add a dedicated quality‑assurance role after a recent certification site visit recommended it.

Details of requests and operations - Positions requested: a full‑time laboratory assistant director (to take quality assurance, procedures, and day‑to‑day oversight off the laboratory director’s plate) and a part‑time microbiology analyst to back up the single microbiologist and handle increased beach resamples. Woods described the microbiology hire as a part‑time, non‑benefited role expected to cost less than the anticipated resample revenue (estimated just under $42,000). - Lab workload: Woods said the lab has seen a roughly 10% increase in job requests between fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2024 and expects a project that will bring about 300 samples over the next 18 months, including routine well analyses and PFAS testing. - Budget math presented: Woods said the department projects approximately $754,000 in annual operating cost for the lab and $1.1 million in revenue for FY26. She said that, at present, “we're at the point now where we're covering the cost of our services.” - Program roll‑out: Woods said a consultant is finishing a survey of town well inventories and expects that work by the end of February. She told commissioners she hopes to begin a soft opening of the private‑well testing program within about a month, and she agreed to brief the commissioners before public roll‑out so they can answer constituent questions.

State changes and accreditation Woods summarized SAFE 2.0, a Massachusetts law signed recently that adopts minimum standards and a coordinated statewide data system for public health. She said SAFE 2.0 emphasizes workforce development, minimum qualifications for roles such as health agents, and shared data access that would centralize inspections, complaints and town‑level public‑health activity.

Woods also said the department aims to pursue public‑health accreditation and will continue to seek training‑hub grants to support cross‑jurisdictional work.

PFAS implications and resident concerns Commissioners and Woods discussed what private‑well owners should expect if PFAS is detected. Woods and other staff explained the county’s role is to test and flag possible clusters; identification of a plume or a point source and remediation typically involves state agencies and, in some cases, third parties (for example, federal cleanup actions at military bases). Woods said the county will provide residents with mitigation options and resources, and noted the DEP has assistance programs for homeowners in certain circumstances.

Quotes "We are finishing up. We have a consultant that is basically going out to all of the towns and really trying to figure out how many wells are in the towns... We expect that to be in by the end of February," Woods said of the county's well‑inventory work.

"This position will be crucial in terms of basically moving forward on that," a commissioner said of the proposed assistant director post; Woods agreed the additional staff would help prevent turnaround times from lengthening.

Ending Woods asked commissioners to consider the staffing requests as part of the FY26 budget process and said the department will return with further detail about timing and costs once the certification paperwork and program design are complete. The commissioners signaled general support for the lab expansion and asked to be briefed before the public testing program begins.