Opposition to Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School's new artificial turf field is building in Westminster, Massachusetts, even before the facility has opened.
Nearby residents argue the recycled plastic project is too close to private wells, a particularly sensitive issue in a town already concerned about PFAS contamination, CBS News reported.
Here's what to know
A petition is circulating among residents near Monty Tech, who are also asking the school committee to stop the turf field project.
It contains roughly 500,000 pounds of recycled plastic, according to CBS News.
Westminster resident Matt McGee has emerged as a leading critic, as his family depends on a well near the site.
"Our well is 100 feet away from the materials that were put in this turf field," McGee explained.
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The fight has split neighbors and the school community: homeowners want the project halted, while Monty Tech teams want to see the field in use. The field is still on track to open.
Another resident, Westminster resident John Duval, asserted that nearby residents want baseline evidence about their well water in hand before the field starts operating.
"If this remains, we will have documentation that our wells were pure," Duval added.
More background
For McGee's family, the transformation is literally in front of them.
From their yard, they have watched Monty Tech games, and the grass they once looked out on has been replaced by a newly installed synthetic field.
Westminster's recent water issues color those concerns.
A class action lawsuit referenced in the report holds that nearby neighborhoods have PFAS-contaminated well water, prompting testing for the McGees and others on their street.
For households on private wells like the McGees and Duvals, the question is whether a major construction project near their homes could affect the water they rely on every day.
In a town where residents are already on alert over PFAS, questions about well testing, documentation, and who verifies the field's materials have become public health concerns before the field has even opened.
What's being done?
Superintendent Tom Browne said the school has followed the approval steps the town required.
"We have been following the process that Westminster put in place for us, in terms of which committee we needed to see and when we needed to see it," Browne claimed.
He said monitoring wells will be added around the field and tested every six months. Other turf fields in the region are not monitored that way, per CBS News.
The Westminster Board of Health is also awaiting word from the installation company on whether Monty Tech's field is PFAS-free. Board of Health Chair Daniel Farley didn't mince words about the agency's intent.
"We want to make sure this doesn't become another site," Farley stated.
"The only thing that's going to keep my well water and my family safe is for this field to go back to grass," McGee said.
Where can I learn more?
The dispute in Westminster is part of a broader debate over artificial turf, PFAS, and drinking water safety. These stories track school and community fights over synthetic fields and their consequences.
• Santa Monica parents pressed schools to scrap an artificial turf plan over forever chemical fears.
• Across the country, parents warned synthetic turf on fields exposes kids to harmful chemicals.
• In Los Angeles, residents said artificial turf installations at parks and fields were unsafe.
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