The Town of Hubbardston Board of Health on Feb. 25 reviewed a batch of well, entry-point and wastewater laboratory reports that showed mostly normal results but included specific readings the board said require follow-up and retesting.

Board members said most residential and school water tests were within expected ranges, but the board identified a biochemical oxygen demand reading that was “high” for a wastewater sample tied to the municipal system and a coliform result at a food establishment sample that exceeded entry-point guidance and should be retested.

The board’s sanitarian, Phil Ledger, explained that BOD can be seasonally higher in cold weather and that interpretation depends on sample location and temperature. The board noted a BOD value of 31 at a Gardner Road wastewater monitoring point and asked for additional review of processes and a follow-up sampling plan if elevated values persist.

Separately, the board discussed a total coliform result reported at the precinct/entry point with a numeric result that the laboratory annotated could be reported either as a count per 100 mL or as present/absent. The board agreed that any positive reading at the entry point should trigger repeat sampling and retesting. One lab result cited in discussion showed a numeric reading on the order of “hundreds” per 100 mL; board members said that magnitude requires retest and clarification from the testing laboratory about sample location and method.

Board members also asked staff to confirm the sampling locations on maps for problematic results, to ask the laboratory to highlight results that require repeats, and to have the sanitarian or staff contact the lab for clarification and arrange retesting where required.

The board emphasized that E. coli measurements discussed in the meeting were below detection on the examples reviewed and that the principal concern was total coliform reporting at an entry point. Members said they will monitor the follow-up retest outcomes and expect staff to return updates at the next meeting.

The action items the board recorded were: (1) request the testing laboratory to clarify which samples correspond to raw well water vs. treated/entry-point samples; (2) require repeat sampling and retest for any entry-point total coliform results above the threshold; and (3) ask Phil Ledger to review wastewater process controls if BOD remains elevated on the next report.

Documents reviewed included multiple water test reports for private wells, school testing posted to the statewide beaches portal and the wastewater lab report identified as showing elevated BOD. Board members noted the reports date from January and February 2025 and asked staff to circulate the full files to members and to flag any samples requiring repeats.

The board did not adopt a new policy at the meeting; it directed staff to pursue the clarifications and retesting described above and scheduled the items for follow-up at the next meeting.