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Millville well water update: committee told PFAS and TOCs were found; town to provide bottled water until state clearance
Summary
The interim superintendent reported that testing from a fracture near the Millville Elementary well found PFAS and TOCs; the district said a food-grade well seal installation was requested from state authorities and bottled/bulk water will be provided until clearance is given.
The Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee heard a Millville elementary well update on Oct. 29, during which the interim superintendent said recent testing detected total organic carbons (TOCs) and PFAS in water sampled from a fracture about 24 feet below ground.
The superintendent told the committee that the well has been acid-washed, drop piping and the stilling tube will be replaced, and the well pump has been determined operational and will be reinstalled. According to the update, the water operator requested state approval to install a food‑grade well seal to prevent contaminated water from the fracture entering the well; the town expects the seal installation to be completed by Nov. 7 and said it will not turn the well back on until the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection gives clearance.
In the interim, the town of Millville will continue to supply bottled water and bulk water at the elementary school for drinking and other uses. The superintendent emphasized she was relaying information sent by a town contact and named Jen Gill as the source of the written update.
Why it matters: The committee’s update signals ongoing mitigation steps and continued short‑term reliance on alternative water supplies for students and staff. The committee did not take a vote on water policy; the update was informational.
What was said: “The acid washing of the well has been completed…testing done in the water from a water bearing fracture at approximately 24 feet below the ground…found to contain the TOCs and PFAS,” the superintendent read aloud. She added that the town will provide bottled and bulk water until state clearance is obtained.
What’s next: The district said the seal installation was anticipated by Nov. 7 and that the well will be reactivated only after MassDEP clearance. No timeline for follow-up testing results beyond the seal installation date was provided in the transcript.
Ending: Committee members thanked the superintendent for the update and moved on to other agenda items; the report did not include a formal action or vote regarding the well beyond relaying the town’s mitigation plan.
