Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging contaminants with recent regulatory levels established in many Northeast states. The City of Westfield has been managing PFAS contamination since 2016. At that time, two out of four north side wells were taken out of service, and two other wells have experienced periodic shutdowns. Due to the limitations of the City being bisected by the Westfield River, the City has limited ability to move water to the north side. In 2018, Massachusetts released new PFAS guidelines that required Well 2 to be taken offline, leaving the north side of town with limited water supply while the City’s first PFAS water treatment plant was under construction.
In response to the redundancy and reliability risks of losing three of four wells, emergency treatment was needed for Well 2. Tighe & Bond assisted the City with the design and permitting of a fast-tracked project to get Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment installed with a treatment capacity of up to 1,200gpm. The emergency treatment system was designed to allow for the GAC contactor to be moved to a future permanent water treatment plant for continued use of the asset.
After evaluating alternative source options, the City determined that an additional permanent water treatment plant for Wells 1 and 2 was required. Tighe & Bond assisted the City with feasibility planning, design, and permitting of a 2,600 gpm permanent water treatment plant. The design included:
- 7,000 LF of raw and finished water main
- Four 40,000 lb GAC contactors
- Chemical storage and feed facilities
- Laboratory and office space
With emergency treatment in place, the City is able to continue to reliably delivery safe water to its customers while a more permanent water treatment plant is designed and constructed.
