Wayland Public Works board sends $38.6 million water article to Town Meeting

WAYLAND -- January 6, 2026, Wayland DPW board votes 5-0 to send $38.6 million long-term water article to Town Meeting. The Board of Public Works on Tuesday endorsed construction funding for a permanent Happy Hollow PFAS treatment facility ($16.1 million) and a permanent MWRA connection ($22.5 million), to be financed by a zero-interest State Revolving Fund loan and repaid through water rates over 20 years. Chair George Uveges walked members line by line through a late-revised draft circulated by Vice-Chair Michael Wegerbauer; DPW Director Tom Holder cited a 2020 state PFAS limit of 20 parts per trillion and a federal limit of 4 parts per trillion taking effect in 2031. Approval would let Wayland claim a time-limited MWRA waiver of the $7 million admission fee. Holder warned against citing a non-PFAS replacement cost in the article: "I would be really concerned about having a reader think that there's an alternative to what we're proposing."