Veolia issues outdoor water ban for parts of South Kingstown as town examines wells, PFAS and costs

Veolia on June 30 issued a full ban on outdoor water use for its South Kingstown customers after monitoring showed groundwater levels and well output at historic lows, town officials said at a July 13 work session.

Town Manager Jim Button and Director of Public Services Rich Bourbonnais told the Town Council the ban responds to a supply problem, not solely to excessive use. "Veolia instituted the full outdoor water ban," Bourbonnais said, adding the town has seen outside-water restrictions in 17 of the past 21 years and eight prior full bans.

Bourbonnais outlined the condition of three town wells at Green Hill — described in the meeting as gravel-packed wells built in 1976, 1979 and 1999 — and said they are not currently in service because of elevated iron and PFAS. He gave production ranges of roughly 700, 700 and 500 gallons per minute for the three wells and said reactivating them would require major treatment and disposal work.

"To revive those wells, to eliminate the iron and the manganese, it's north of $15,000,000," Bourbonnais said. He added that a separate PFAS treatment system could raise costs further: "That does not" include PFAS filtration, he said, estimating an additional $7–8 million based on recent local projects. The council discussed a previously pursued $5 million federal grant that did not materialize and noted the town's ARPA allocation of $9 million would not have covered the full scope.

Chris Jacobs, director of operations for Veolia, presented drought-monitoring and groundwater data from the state and USGS, saying winter snowmelt produced a short-lived recovery in March but groundwater and streamflow fell again through April and May. "Groundwater levels are still really low," Jacobs said. He described Veolia's efforts to find and fast-track potential additional well sites and said test wells and geophysical work are underway.

Council members and residents pressed Veolia and town staff about why nearby small systems such as Kingston Water were not under bans; Bourbonnais and Jacobs said systems differ by source locations and scale, and a small system with multiple well sites can avoid the same supply vulnerabilities. Council members acknowledged the town's recent irrigation ordinance reduced peak usage on scheduled non-watering days, but said conservation alone cannot resolve a source shortfall.

Residents and several council members urged Veolia to pursue conservation incentives, such as rain-barrel rebates and low-flow rebates modeled on programs in other states. Sofia Salas, who identified herself as working with Veolia, said rebate programs depend on regulator approval through a tariff or rate case: "We can propose to the Rhode Island Commission," she said, and suggested a rebate could be included in a future filing, while also noting behavioral change is an important immediate tool.

The council discussed legal and contractual questions about enforcement: town legal counsel said the town, as a wholesale purchaser, must honor Veolia's ban where the town buys and then resells Veolia water under contract. "Anytime Veolia issues a water ban, we have to comply with that," counsel said.

No formal council vote was taken on the ban during the work session. Town staff said they will continue monitoring well levels, pursue feasibility studies for returning Green Hill wells to service, and provide regular status updates to the council and the public. The council asked for clearer public communication about drought status and for Veolia to return with more details on possible rebate programs and potential new wells.

The council moved from the work session into the regular July 13 meeting and scheduled follow-ups; town officials said they will provide additional slides, data and timing for studies and will continue collaborating with Veolia on response options.