Water Treatment
The quality of water pumped and distributed by the West
Boylston Water District meets or surpasses
United
States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP)
primary drinking water guidelines and regulation.
Both EPA and DEP require that the water be tested
regularly.
The water within the water supply of the West Boylston
Water District is treated at each water source prior to
distribution.
- Potassium hydroxide is injected to elevate the
pH of the water. This helps control corrosion.
- Sodium polyphosphate is added to sequester iron
and manganese, which tend to stain fixtures.
- Chlorine was added during 2004 and part of 2005 to eliminate
some bacteria that was found during monthly testing.
While it is not added at this time, we will treat
our water with chlorine in the future if needed.
Water Testing
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) prescribe regulations that limit the
amount of certain contaminants in water provided by
public water systems. Therefore they require that
water in public water supplies be tested regularly to
ensure that tap water is safe to drink. A
certified laboratory performs all tests and the results
are reported to the DEP. Tests for bacterial
contamination are performed monthly; tests for other
contaminates are performed annually or at a frequency
determined by the DEP.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may
reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts
of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants
does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health
risk. However, some people may be more vulnerable
to contaminants than the general population. More
information about contaminants and potential health
effects can be found at the
EPA's Ground
Water and Drinking Water web site.
Substances Found in Drinking Water
Sources of drinking water, both bottled and tap,
include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs,
springs and wells. As water travels over the
surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves
naturally occurring minerals, and possibly, radioactive
materials. It can pick up substances resulting
from the presence of animals and human activity.
Contaminants that may be in drinking water include:
- Microbial contaminants -
such as viruses
and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment
plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock
operations and wildlife.
- Inorganic contaminants -
such as salts
and metals. These can be naturally-occurring
or result from urban storm-water runoff, industrial
or domestic waste-water discharges, oil and gas
production, mining or farming.
- Pesticides and herbicides -
from a
variety of sources such as agricultural, storm-water
runoff and residential uses.
- Organic chemical contaminants -
including
synthetic and volatile organic chemicals. They
are byproducts of industrial and petroleum
production or can come from gas stations,
storm-water runoff and septic systems.
- Radioactive contaminants -
which can be
naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas
production and mining activities.
Testing Results
The results of water quality testing are contained in
the Annual Consumer Report. Please see our
Reports page for the most recent report.
Protection of our Water Sources
The Water District has taken an active approach to
protecting its groundwater supply sources. Working
with the Department of Environmental Protection of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Water District has
obtained Zone II Delineations for all of our wells.
A Zone II Delineation determines the land area that
contributes ground water to a water source. The
DEP's Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP)
program produced a report that assessed the
susceptibility of our public water supply to potential
sources of contamination. Knowing where the
potential threats lie allows us to monitor the potential
problems closely. In addition, the SWAP report
recommended that the District propose amendments to the
Aquifer and Watershed Protection District Bylaw, adopted
by the Town of West Boylston in 1994. These
modifications include providing specific language within
the Bylaw prohibiting landfilling of wastewater and
septage residuals from Zone II and prohibiting expansion
of impervious surface on existing non-residential land
within Zone II such that the total impervious surfaces
are not greater than 10% of the lot size.
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Water Quality
