Compounds known as “forever chemicals” continue to be found in monitoring wells around the closed town landfill in West Tisbury.  

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection sent a notice to the town on June 9 telling officials they need to undertake mitigation efforts after water samples from near the capped landfill were found to have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances above the state standards.

The town was notified last year that the substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, were detected in the same area around the landfill. The chemicals have been linked to negative health effects, including increased risk of certain cancers and increased risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women.  

In the wake of past detections, the town hired environmental consultant Wilcox and Barton to do sampling. 

Samples from one of the monitoring wells that is near a private drinking well tested positive for high levels of PFAS in March. 

The state is now requiring West Tisbury to conduct sampling on the nearby private wells, and provide bottled water or install treatment systems, according to the June 9 letter.

The handling of these chemicals are now well known to the town, according to town administrator Jennifer Rand.  

“It falls into the it ‘is what it is’ category,” she said. “I think it is a rare [thing if a] town is not dealing with PFAS so it just is falling into a responsibility we have now adopted.” 

Wilcox and Barton will continue to spearhead mitigation efforts and has to submit a plan to the state by early August, according to Ms. Rand. 

“Our estimated total fee is $160,000 but unlike some contracts where you have a fixed price, because PFAS is a moving target, that is the best estimate based on what we know right now,” she said. “But if something comes up and the state requires us to do something different, the price will go up.” 

PFAS chemicals were first detected in West Tisbury in January 2023 in wells by the fire station. In October 2023, PFAS was detected in two homes around the landfill but didn’t surpass the immediate hazard concentration. 

At the annual town meeting in April, residents passed allocated $250,000 to deal with these chemicals, which are found in all sorts of products, including waterproof clothing, firefighting foams and nonstick kitchenware.