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Acton Water District creates PAS settlement fund and approves early appropriations for treatment and media replacement
Summary
The district established a dedicated PAS settlement fund and approved three appropriations—$330,000 for a leased PAS treatment system, $150,000 for media replacement, and $150,000 to reimburse FY26 emergency interconnections—using settlement proceeds; motions passed unanimously.
Acton — At its annual meeting, the Acton Water District created a restricted account to hold proceeds from litigation related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PAS/PFAS) contamination and approved several initial transfers from that fund to support treatment and start-up costs.
By unanimous voice vote the meeting established a PAS settlement fund to hold settlement proceeds and facilitate targeted appropriations. “We will deposit all proceeds received by the district resulting from litigation related to PAS contamination into said fund,” the motion as read explained; officials said existing settlement receipts are now in a general account and will be moved to the new fund for accounting and appropriation.
The meeting then approved three appropriations from the new fund: $330,000 for FY27 lease payments for the North Acton treatment plant PAS system; $150,000 for media (granular activated carbon) replacement; and $150,000 to reimburse the FY26 general fund for emergency interconnections with neighboring towns used during plant commissioning. Finance Committee recommended each appropriation.
District staff explained the accounting practice: settlement receipts received to date are being held in a general money-market account and will be moved into the restricted PAS settlement fund once the fund is established so the district can appropriate those dollars for the specified uses. Christine McCarthy, formerly the treasurer-collector and assisting with the transition, confirmed the funds are currently in a general account and will be reclassified.
Officials said the approach is to invest most of the settlement funds and use portions over time to offset ratepayer impacts while retaining resources for future treatment, media replacement cycles and uncertain regulatory requirements.
The motions passed unanimously, and staff said they will continue to bring planned, funded items to future meetings for appropriation as needed.
