Local
Tiverton aims to connect seven PFAS-affected homes to town water before winter
The first phase of Tiverton’s water-line extension is intended to reach seven North Tiverton homes whose wells are too contaminated for filtration. Town officials are targeting completion before the first snowfall, with $1 million in federal emergency funding secured for the project.
TIVERTON, R.I. — Seven North Tiverton households could be connected to town water before winter under the first phase of a water-line extension intended to address PFAS contamination in their wells.
The town’s goal is to finish that phase before the season’s first snowfall. A specific construction start date was not announced. Boyle and Fogarty Construction of Smithfield has been awarded the contract.
The project is aimed at homes where PFAS levels have made the wells too contaminated for a filtration system to address, according to information released by the town. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of chemicals associated with contamination concerns.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation were scheduled to meet at Tiverton Town Hall at 2 p.m. to provide an update on the town’s efforts to respond to the contamination.
Last month, U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo secured $1 million in emergency funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the extension. The first phase would bring town water to the seven affected homes; the available project details do not specify a timeline for any later phases.