Annual Water Quality Report Released

The town’s annual Water Quality Report can be found on the town’s website.

The five-page report covers all testing performed in 2011, and touches on water main (pipe) flushing, lead pipes, and sampling results.

“During the past year, we have taken hundreds of water samples in order to determine the presence of any radioactive, biological, inorganic, volatile organice, or synthetic organic contaminants,” reads the report. 

Testing showed the presence of coliform bacteria (naturally present in the environment) and an excessive level of Manganese (a naturally-occurring mineral that was “leaching from natural deposits.")   No other violations were found, according to the report.

“Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems,” says the report.  The town has been with this issue for some time. 

“In response to the ongoing bacteria detections, we are adding sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) to try to achieve a chlorine residual throughout all areas of the water system, and are evaluating a maintenance and improvement schedule for the water tanks and distribution system.”

The report also describes the treatment process for Medfield’s water which it describes as “naturally corrosive…therefore untreated water has a tendency to corrode and dissolve metal piping.”

The report also refers to the “Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) program, established under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act [which] requires every state to inventory land uses within the recharge areas of all public water supply sources; assess the susceptibility of drinking water sources to contamination from these land uses; and publicize the results.” 

Medfield’s susceptibility ranking was “high” because, according to the SWAP analysis, “The wells are located in aquifers with a high vulnerability to contamination due to the absence of hydro geologic barriers (i.e. clay) that can prevent contaminant migration.”

The report also include a Question and Answer section:

• Who uses the most water?  69% is for agriculture, 23% for industry, and 8 percent for municipal (drinking, bathing, cleaning, water plants and grass)
• How much water does a person use every day?  The Average person in the United States uses 80 to 100 gallons of water each day.  In medieval times, a person used 5 gallons per day.
• Should I be concerned about what I’m pouring down my drain?  If your home is served by a sewage system your drain is an entrance to your wastewater disposal system and eventually to a drinking water source.
• How long does it take a water supplier to produce one glass of water?  It can take up to 45 minutes to produce a single glass of drinking water.

The report said that drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants which do not necessarily pose a health risk.  For more information regarding contaminants and potential health effects, call the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

Finally, the water quality report says that community participation is encouraged: “Please share with us your thoughts or concerns about the information in this report.  After all, well-informed customers are our best allies.”  Questions or comments should be directed to DPW Superintendent Ken Feeney at kfeeney@medfield.net or 508-906-3002.  

The Board of Water and Sewerage also encourages public comment and typically meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Medfield Town House.  Check the town’s website to confirm a meeting’s date, time, and agenda.

The above information was derived from the Annual Water Quality Report: Reporting Year 2011.