Politics & Government
Town Of Dedham: Important Information About Your Drinking Water
See the latest announcement from the Town of Dedham.
11/04/2021 4:13 PM
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
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Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) MCL Violation | Dedham-Westwood Water District
Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although the elevated levels of TTHMs are of concern, this is not an emergency, and an alternative source of water is not necessary. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation.
Find out what's happening in Dedhamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Testing results from October 7, 2021, show that our system exceeded the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for TTHM. The standard for TTHM is 80 parts per billion (ppb). It is determined by averaging all samples collected at each sampling location for the past 12 months. The level of TTHM averaged at our sampling location that exceeded the MCL for the period from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, is 83 ppb.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
- There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours.
- If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
This is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified within 24 hours. TTHM are four volatile organic chemicals which form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in the water.
People who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
WHAT IS BEING DONE?
The Dedham Westwood Water District has engaged the services of Weston & Sampson, a recognized leader in the engineering field of water projects to analyze the total organic carbon sampling data and research the cause of the elevated levels of TTHMs. We have also included additional equipment in the plants, tanks and distribution system as well as implementing a unidirectional flushing program in our 2022 capital plan. These combined actions will help reduce the THM levels.
For more in-depth information, please visit the Dedham – Westwood Water District website www.dwwd.org/tthm. Contact the Water Quality Hotline at (800) 279-8810 or email questions or concerns to waterquality@dwwd.org.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by the Dedham-Westwood Water District.
PWS ID#: 3073000 Date distributed: 11/4/2021
Additional Information:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) MCL Violation | Dedham-Westwood Water District
Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although the elevated levels of TTHMs are of concern, this is not an emergency, and an alternative source of water is not necessary. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation.
We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Testing results from October 7, 2021, show that our system exceeded the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for TTHM. The standard for TTHM is 80 parts per billion (ppb). It is determined by averaging all samples collected at each sampling location for the past 12 months. The level of TTHM averaged at our sampling location that exceeded the MCL for the period from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, is 83 ppb.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
- There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours.
- If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
This is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified within 24 hours. TTHM are four volatile organic chemicals which form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in the water.
People who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
WHAT IS BEING DONE?
The Dedham Westwood Water District has engaged the services of Weston & Sampson, a recognized leader in the engineering field of water projects to analyze the total organic carbon sampling data and research the cause of the elevated levels of TTHMs. We have also included additional equipment in the plants, tanks and distribution system as well as implementing a unidirectional flushing program in our 2022 capital plan. These combined actions will help reduce the THM levels.
For more in-depth information, please visit the Dedham – Westwood Water District website www.dwwd.org/tthm. Contact the Water Quality Hotline at (800) 279-8810 or email questions or concerns to waterquality@dwwd.org.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by the Dedham-Westwood Water District.
PWS ID#: 3073000 Date distributed: 11/4/2021
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This press release was produced by the Town of Dedham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
