Danvers Drinking Water Violation May Have Elevated Lead, Copper In Faucets

DANVERS, MA — Corrosion control treatment violations in August and September may have contributed to elevated levels of lead and copper in Danvers' drinking water.

The town's water department said that, "even though this is not an emergency," it was issuing the advisory to keep residents updated on what happened and the steps taken to correct the issue.

The town said in August and September, water tests missed the planned targets for pH and phosphates.

"Deviations outside of our planned target ranges can impact the effectiveness of our corrosion
control treatment and influence how much lead and copper leach out of our pipes," the town said.

Failure to have corrosion control treatment within the required parameter range for more than seven days is considered a Treatment Technique Violation by the Massachusetts Drinking Water
Regulations.

The town issued tips on how residents can reduce exposure to lead:

• If the water has not been used for six hours or more, it is good routine drinking water practice to run your water for 15-30 seconds or until it becomes cold before using it for drinking or cooking. This helps to flush out any standing lead or copper from your internal plumbing.
• Call (978) 774-5054 to find out how to get your water tested for lead and copper.
• Find out whether your pipes contain lead or lead solder.
• Don't cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead and copper dissolve more easily into hot water.
• Do not boil your water to remove lead and copper. Excessive boiling of water makes the lead and copper more concentrated — the lead and copper remain when the water evaporates.
• As always, if you have questions about your health, contact your health care provider.

New lead pipes and plumbing components containing lead are no longer allowed. However, many older homes may contain lead pipes.

There is no safe level of lead allowed in drinking water.

The town said it will conduct lead and copper monitoring in 2026 and has implemented additional strategies to ensure compliance monitoring and notification to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection:

• Daily water quality control parameters will be assessed and relayed to Water Treatment Plant Management if deviations are found. Deviations will be conveyed to MassDEP within 48 hours.
• All Danvers Water Treatment Plant Operator training and Standard Operating Procedures are updated to reflect these parameters.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)