PFAS Treatment Comes Online in Bridgewater, Mass., Returning Two Wells and About 500,000 Gallons a Day, Town Says

Bridgewater, Massachusetts, says its first PFAS treatment facility is set to be fully operational by Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, bringing two groundwater wells back into service in a town whose website still lists a water supply emergency in effect since December 2025. The Plymouth Street Water Treatment Facility received approval from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) on Monday, Oct. 19, according to a town announcement dated October 20, 2026.

What the town says is changing

• Two wells back online. Wells 10A and 10B, turned on Oct. 21, are expected to provide about 500,000 gallons of water per day, raising the town’s available supply from about 1.4 million to nearly 2 million gallons per day, the town said.
• Treatment for three problems. The facility uses greensand filtration for iron and manganese, plus separate filtration vessels for PFAS, according to the town. It is the first treatment facility in Bridgewater that treats for PFAS, the town said.
• Treated before distribution. Well 10B had historically helped meet demand but was not previously equipped with these treatment systems; the new facility treats water from both wells before it enters the distribution system, according to the announcement.
• Built in under a year. Town Manager Justin Casanova-Davis said the team met its goal of constructing the facility and bringing the wells into the system “in less than a year.”

Why it mattered

Bridgewater has been under a water supply emergency effective December 2025 “due to reduced well production and elevated levels of iron, manganese, and PFAS,” according to the town’s Water System Improvement Dashboard, which also lists a mandatory ban on nonessential outdoor water use for the duration of the emergency. The town has also relied on an emergency interconnection with neighboring Middleborough, the dashboard shows.

“We know how difficult the water situation has been for our residents, and we know there is still more work to do,” Casanova-Davis said. Water Superintendent William Young said, “The new treatment systems allow us to use these water sources while meeting water quality standards.” Massachusetts regulates six PFAS compounds, known as PFAS6, under a state Maximum Contaminant Level, the town’s PFAS page notes.

Why WaterVO™ follows this

Treatment plants like this one work on groundwater after PFAS, iron and manganese are already in it. Atmospheric water generation, which we call vapor optimizing (VO), starts from a different source: it filters incoming air and condenses drinking water from humidity instead of drawing on wells. We believe VO is likely the best option for drinking water. It uses energy, but we think cleaner drinking water is worth it.

Sources

• Town of Bridgewater, “Town of Bridgewater Announces Major Water System Milestone as Plymouth Street Treatment Facility Comes Online,” issued via John Guilfoil Public Relations, October 20, 2026: news.jgpr.net
• Town of Bridgewater, Water System Improvement Dashboard (read Oct. 21, 2026): bridgewaterma.gov
• Town of Bridgewater, PFAS Information & Results (read Oct. 21, 2026): bridgewaterma.gov

Photo: Bridgewater Central Square, Massachusetts, by Kenneth C. Zirkel via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); cropped, headline added in the featured image. Illustrative.

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Go deeper with the water experts at Hydrology University: the PFAS guide.

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