Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

The Town of Plainville’s process for handling its water distribution system and supply has gone through a transformation in recent years. The Town went through a charter change and subsequent formation of a Department of Public Works under which the existing water department was absorbed.

Historically, their water system had been plagued by dirty water complaints. This led to the deactivation of a groundwater source that put the Town into a supply deficit. BETA has been working with the Town to identify a new source of water, as well as handling a disinfection byproduct issue. A new groundwater source has been identified, and water quality testing is ongoing.

The new source contains iron and manganese, which will be directed to the Town’s sole water treatment plant. This plant is being upgraded and will be able to handle the new source. The new upgrade will also include the ability to handle PFAS when these levels exceed the MCL of 20 ppt. As a result of the modeling and close coordination with the operations staff, the disinfection byproduct, which did result in an ACO from MADEP, has been corrected, and the ACO has been officially lifted.