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Foxborough board adds $16.5 million SRF loan article to town meeting for second PFAS treatment plant
Summary
After a late state ranking change, the Select Board voted to add a $16.5 million Water Department article to the May 2025 town meeting warrant seeking SRF loan funding to build a second PFAS treatment plant; town staff said the loan is 0% interest with possible principal forgiveness and estimated the average per-customer impact at about $137/year spread over 20 years.
The Foxborough Select Board voted April 15 to place a $16,500,000 Water Department article on the May 2025 annual town meeting warrant to seek State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan funding for a second PFAS treatment plant at the Oak Street/Lampson Road site.
Chris Gallant, the town’s GPDW director, told the board a change in the state’s draft intended-use plan on April 8 moved Foxborough onto the SRF funding list. Gallant and water superintendent Bob Wardley said the project is time-sensitive: the SRF round requires town acceptance by June 30 to secure 0% interest financing and possible principal forgiveness that would not be guaranteed in a later round.
Gallant said the new plant would be Foxborough’s second PFAS treatment facility after the Chestnut Street project and estimated the total cost at about $16–16.5 million. He said the SRF program provides a 20-year repayment term; current program terms for similar projects include 0% interest and some principal forgiveness, though the amount of forgiveness for this specific loan is unknown and will be determined later in the process.
Board members asked about compliance, capacity and the effect on ratepayers. Gallant and Wardley said the two existing plants (Chestnut Street and an earlier plant) can be operated to keep finished water compliant while the second plant comes online; they described a long-term aim to add a third plant at Witch Pond to cover the entire system. Gallant said the town serves about 6,000 water customers; dividing $16.5 million over 20 years yields an average of about $137 per customer per year but actual bills will vary by usage and by customer class.
Officials also described the broader infrastructure context: the town has invested more than $50 million in water system improvements over the last decade, replacing aging pipe and installing filtration for iron and manganese. Gallant said the PFAS treatment systems use activated carbon media, which targets PFAS compounds and can be adapted if future contaminants are regulated.
Select Board members debated the timing — several said reopening the warrant on short notice felt rushed while others argued that losing SRF funding would be costlier in the long run. The board voted to open the warrant and add the $16,500,000 article so voters at town meeting can accept or reject the loan.
If town meeting approves the article, project design, permitting and bidding would follow; Gallant said the aim is to go to bid in early 2026 and begin construction to meet regulatory and funding timelines. The Water and Sewer Commission will hold a rate hearing after town meeting to consider how to phase any rate increases associated with repayment.
The vote to place the article on the warrant was taken by roll call and carried by the board.
