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Water report: lead found in some school fixtures, PFAS detected at Well 7; drought remains at Level 2
Summary
Orleans water staff reported limited lead results in some middle-school fixtures, detected PFAS at Well 7 above the reportable limit but below the MCL, and said the town remains at drought Level 2 while continuing conservation and monitoring.
Town water staff reported test results and drought status to the Board of Water and Sewer, including limited lead detections at the middle school, a PFAS detection at one well, and ongoing drought monitoring.
Sue Brown, water and sewer superintendent, said lead was detected in some fixtures at the middle school but not in bottle-filling stations or fountains; remedial options include instituting a flushing program, labeling certain sinks as handwashing-only, or replacing fixtures and retesting. "The good news is none of the bottle fillers or fountains had any lead detected," Brown said.
On PFAS, routine sampling found 3.7 nanograms per liter at Well 7. Brown said MassDEP asked the town to resample raw and finished water to locate any source; results showed detection at Well 7 while blended finished water remained below the 20 ng/L MCL. Because the detection exceeded the reportable limit (1.86 ng/L under the new reporting criteria), the town must now sample annually. Brown said the cost and logistics of PFAS testing are substantial because samples go to out-of-state labs and shipping costs are significant.
On drought, Brown said the town remains at Level 2 restrictions; well levels declined earlier in the season but have stabilized somewhat following recent rainfall. Board members thanked residents for conservation efforts.
Why it matters: lead detections in school fixtures affect student and staff water use and require corrective action; PFAS detections trigger ongoing monitoring obligations and public reporting; drought status affects outdoor water-use restrictions and enforcement.
Next steps: the water department will meet with school maintenance to plan remedial actions on affected fixtures, continue annual PFAS sampling for all wells and the finished-water entry point, and maintain drought-level communications with the public.
