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Dover Board of Health weighs updating well rules as PFAS testing rises
Summary
The Dover Board of Health discussed updating nearly decade‑old well regulations to address PFAS, including options to require testing at transfer or new well installation, use of filtration, and monitoring; members agreed to pursue expert briefings and further review.
The Dover Board of Health on Jan. 5 opened a renewed discussion about regulating per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in private wells, saying the town’s well regulations are nearly 10 years old and due for revision.
Board staff summarized recent local test results as mostly low but noted an outlier case that prompted concern. “If you test for PFAS and you're over 20 parts per trillion of the combined six PFAS, you essentially become a reportable incident to the DEP,” the staff member said, noting that a reportable result can trigger remediation obligations.
Member Dawn Quangbush said she would like to see testing required “for every new well and for home sales,” arguing such tests could reassure buyers and guide mitigation when needed. Other members urged a cautious, educational approach at first: Kaye Peterson, the board chair, suggested outreach to real estate professionals and residents to assess impacts and likely pushback.
The board discussed several paths: require testing at property transfer; require testing for new wells; shift to a preventive approach by recommending or requiring point‑of‑entry or point‑of‑use filtration (for example, GAC systems) without universal testing; and installing monitoring wells in areas of concern. Members also noted regulatory consequences: repeated or high results could trigger DEP reporting and remediation duties, a factor that weighs on whether to make testing compulsory.
Members agreed to seek outside expertise and additional information before any rule change. They discussed inviting the DEP staffer they previously met and a practitioner who presented on PFAS at a regional conference. Staff said he would compile existing town test results and look into arranging expert briefings at a future meeting.
Next steps: staff will collect and share monitoring/test data the board already holds, reach out to potential outside experts for a future meeting, and consider small, incremental regulatory or guidance changes rather than immediate mandatory requirements.
