West Parish Filters in Westfield has been the site of water filtration and treatment for drinking water supplied to the City of Springfield since the early 1900s. Original construction of the plant was completed in 1909 and featured slow sand filtration facilities (common in New England at the time, and still today). More slow sand filters were added in the 1920s, and chlorination was added in the 1960s.

With the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act in the 1970s, new science, technology, drinking water regulations, and substantial federal funding drove a modernization effort at the plant. In 1974, construction of a new rapid sand filtration facility was completed at West Parish Filters.

The rapid sand filters have been the primary form of drinking water treatment ever since, with the slow sand filters remaining in use to meet peak and emergency demand.

Pictured above: (Left) Underground slow sand filter chambers under construction at West Parish Filters in the 1920s. (Right) The Rapid Sand Filtration Facility at West Parish Filters was constructed in the 1970s and is still in use today. 

Looking west from Springfield Water and Sewer Commission’s West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant in Westfield, MA in 1909 (left) and in October 2022 (right).

In 2012 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) updated its regulations related to disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which were first adopted in 1998.

DBPs form when chlorine (required for safe disinfection) reacts with dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) found in surface water bodies such as the Commission’s Cobble Mountain Reservoir, the main source of the drinking water supply. Data indicates that the more intense and extreme precipitation patterns observed in recent years are increasing the amount of NOM in the reservoir.

The Commission recognized that the 1970s-era rapid sand filters were not capable of removing the amount of NOM necessary to consistently meet the new DBP regulations. In addition, many other components of the plant were at or beyond the end of their useful life, increasing the risk of failure. Therefore, in 2015 the Commission initiated a comprehensive planning process to modernize the drinking water treatment plant.

The West Parish Filters Facility Improvements Plan was completed in 2021 and identified a multi-phase approach to replace aging infrastructure and maintain regulatory compliance for DBPs. The planning process also identified that an added treatment step – known as “dissolved air flotation” – is required to meet modern drinking water standards.

Projects included in the West Parish Filters Facility Improvements Plan:

• Clearwell and Backwash Pump Station Replacement – to replace obsolete infrastructure and protect water quality
• New Chemical Storage and Feed Building – to support new treatment processes
• New Dissolved Air Flotation Facility – to more effectively remove NOM prior to filtration
• New Electrical System – to support new treatment processes
• Rapid Sand Filter Upgrades and Expansion – to more effectively filter out NOM
• Elimination of Slow Sand Filters

As part of the planning process, isolated pilot testing completed on-site at West Parish Filters from 2018-2020 identified Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) as the new treatment method to most effectively limit the formation of DBPs. Pictured above is the outside of the pilot testing facility at West Parish Filters and (below) the small-scale DAF filters used as part of pilot testing. 

Planning, design, and construction of a new drinking water treatment facility of this size is a complex and lengthy process (the original design and construction of Borden Brook Reservoir, Cobble Mountain Reservoir, and West Parish Filters took more than 30 years). The Commission is accelerating and advancing this process as quickly as possible. Visit www.newwestparish.com/ for updates on construction progress.

The first phase of construction began in 2021 and was completed in 2023:

• • Backwash Facility – The replacement of the existing 1925 clearwell and 1974 backwash pumps with more modern, efficient, and reliable equipment is now complete. The new Backwash Facility, which includes a new clearwell and backwash pumps, was completed in November 2023. This will allow treatment and delivery of drinking water to continue while the new plant is under construction.
  • New Chemical Storage and Feed Building – Upgrades include improved safety measures such as sprinkler and fire protection, as well as improvements to the storage of the plant’s primary coagulant. The project started in 2021 and was completed in 2022.

The completed Backwash Facility in early fall, 2023.

Demolition of 1909 slow sand filters began in December 2021 to make way for the new Backwash Facility. 

In May 2023, the Commission began outreach to potential bidders for construction to provide information on the project scope and procurement procedures.

General Contractor and Subcontractor Informational Session Presentation

General Contractor and Subcontractor Informational Session Handout

The construction contract bid advertisement was posted on February 28, 2024. Bids were  due Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 2 PM.

Bid advertisement for West Parish Water Treatment Plant

In September 2024, the Commission issued a Notice to Proceed to Walsh Construction Company II, LLC.

The groundbreaking for construction was held on October 16, 2024.Visit newwestparish.com for the latest updates.

Elected officials and SWSC staff at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant on October 16, 2024.

As of fall 2024, the construction phase has officially begun. Visit newwestparish.com/project-updates to follow along!

Visit newwestparish.com/funding for more information about the cost and funding sources for the project.

The Commission shared information at recent board meetings regarding the identification of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found during the demolition of the existing West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant.  See below for answers to some frequently asked questions.

What Happened?
Contractors working on demolition of the existing West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant identified PCBs in an older (1966) section of the facility. PCBs are common in construction materials dating from this era.

What are PCBs?
Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are a group of man-made chemicals that were widely used in building materials and electrical equipment prior to being banned in 1979. They were commonly found in items such as caulk, sealants, paints, and certain industrial products because of their durability and heat resistance.

What impact does this have on our drinking water?
The safety of the public drinking water supply continues to be our highest priority. There is no current risk of exposure to the public or employees. The affected section of the plant has been offline since construction began in March 2025.

The Springfield Water & Sewer Commission (Commission) routinely tests for PCBs as required by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) regulations. Moreover, while in operation the affected section represented a small portion of overall water production and additional analyses show that the water treated met state and federal drinking water quality standards for PCBs.

Who is overseeing this process?
The Commission notified both MassDEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is working collaboratively with these agencies and outside experts to develop appropriate disposal plans. MassDEP and EPA will review and approve our disposal plans in compliance with state and federal regulations.

What will be done to safely dispose of the PCBs?
The implementation of the disposal plan will be carried out by qualified contractors, engineers, and scientists with expertise in PCB management.

What is the status of current construction of the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant?
Demolition and construction on any aspect of this section of the plant is on pause until the PCB material is safely disposed. A finalized and approved disposal plan is expected within the next several months.

We understand the urgency to build the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant and are taking all appropriate steps to do so in the safest, most efficient manner possible.  Once the disposal plan is finalized, the Commission will be able to share accurate information on timing and costs.

The Commission provides quarterly updates to EPA and MassDEP on progress on the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant project as well as other capital projects taking place at West Parish.

2026
Quarterly Report 1-2026

2025
Quarterly Report 1-2025
Quarterly Report 2-2025
Quarterly Report 3 & 4 -2025

2024 
Quarterly Report 1-2024
Quarterly Report 2-2024
Quarterly Report 3-2024
Quarterly Report 4-2024

2023
Quarterly Report 1-2023
Quarterly Report 2-2023
Quarterly Report 3-2023
Quarterly Report 4-2023

2022
Quarterly Report 2-2022
Quarterly Report 3-2022
Quarterly Report 4-2022