Massachusetts company involved in bottled water quality controversy closing their doors

A Haverhill Massachusetts dairy farm has announced their plans to close after reports of PFAS chemicals in their water.

A letter sent to customers on Friday blamed the media for the impending closure of Spring Hill Dairy Farm.

The water, under various names, was shipped throughout New England, including Fall River. In most cases, the farm is listed somewhere on the label. According to WCVB, the water was sold under:

• 365 Spring Water (Whole Foods)
• Acadia Spring Water (Stop and Shop)
• Best Yet Spring Water (convenience stores)
• Cumberland Farms Spring Water
• IGA Spring Water (various markets)
• Ice Canyon Spring Water (CVS)
• Food Club Spring Water
• Market Basket Spring Water
• Natures Pride Spring Water (Garelick Farms)
• Oakhurst Spring Water (various markets)
• Roche Brothers Spring Water
• Shaw Spring Water
• Spring Hill Spring Water (various markets)
• Golden Flow Spring Water
• Hy-Top Spring Water
• Native Brands Spring Water
• Pride Pure

According to the Massachusetts Department of Health, high levels of PFAS chemicals were found in water bottled by the farm. According to the EPA, the man-made chemical can lead to adverse health outcomes. PFAS are absorbed and can accumulate in the body. PFAS stay in the human body for long periods of time and are related to infant birth weights, effects on the immune system, cancer (for PFOA), and thyroid hormone disruption (for PFOS).

The letter reads as follows:

“Dear Spring Hill Customers –

Spring Hill Dairy Farm has been owned and operated by my family for 117 years. As a fourth-generation owner, it has become my sad task to announce that we will be closing the company.

You, our customers, have been wonderful and supportive and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Each one of you has been understanding and patient as we wait for the post-installation filtration test results. However, the deluge of unwarranted attention on our company, when PFAS is clearly a national problem with thousands of contributors, has made it impossible for us to keep operating. Sensational, fear-inducing headlines relative to an advisory that impacts an estimated 6-7% of the population of Massachusetts (pregnant and lactating women and bottle-fed infants) have created an untenable environment. There have been many challenges over the years of doing business in Massachusetts. This past month has convinced us that, for our company, the negatives have come to outweigh the positives.

Since first learning about the PFSA issue, we took the warning seriously, responded immediately, installed a more than $100,000 charcoal filtration system to remove all PFAS. I am fully confident that the tests we took the day the system was installed on July 22nd will return very soon with negligible or no levels of PFAS. However, the continued adverse media focusing on you our customers, as well fluctuations in regulations and levels among different states and the federal government and more to come in the future, is of concern to our very small business which those of you who are small business owners will certainly understand. For these reasons, we didn’t want to cause you any more uncertainty or undue attention and shall close our business.

It was with great sadness and a heavy heart when I informed our 30-plus employees that their jobs at Spring Hill will end in the near future. Without their contributions, loyalty and support, the Company could not have grown as it has during my tenure. Their service will be rewarded.

It has been a pleasure working with you, I thank you for your business and your support and wish you great success in the future.

Sincerely, Harold B. Rogers”