How safe is drinking water in Massachusetts? Frequently Asked Questions

Q&A about basic safety issues such as water sources, home treatment devices, and lead in drinking water. Spanish and Portuguese translations are also provided. August 2005.
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Fact Sheet: Color, Taste & Odor: What You Should Know

These aesthetic issues with water could be indicators of a problem with the supply. This fact sheet describes the problems and what the consumer can do. August 2005.
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Point of Entry/Point of Use Treatment: Frequently Asked Questions

These devices - such as carbon filters, ion treatment, reverse osmosis systems, etc. - are installed locally, either at the water service connection of a building (point of entry) or right at the tap (point of use), to treat aesthetic issues such as taste or odor or to help meet drinking water standards. August 2007.
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Fact Sheet: Color, Taste & Odor: What You Should Know

These aesthetic issues with water could be indicators of a problem with the supply. This fact sheet describes the problems and what the consumer can do. August 2005.
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Fact Sheet: Is There Lead In My Tap Water?

Fact sheet about the hazards of lead in drinking water and what the consumer can do to address this problem. August 2005.
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Fact Sheet: Drinking Water Contaminated with Bacteria

What to do if your drinking water is contaminated with bacteria: instructions for basic home disinfection and precautions to take for dishwashing, bathing, and food preparation to prevent water-borne illness. December 2006.
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Perchlorate Information

Perchlorate is a toxic chemical, found in fireworks, blasting agents, and munitions, that in high concentrations can have serious health effects. In 2006 Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to establish drinking water and waste site cleanup standards for perchlorate. November 2007.
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Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products - FAQs

Many common household products, ranging from over-the-counter or prescription medicines to perfumes to insect repellents, may contain chemicals that can pollute the water supply and cause health problems if ingested in drinking water. This page includes frequently asked questions about potential contamination from these products and what the consumer can do to keep them from entering the environment. September 2008.
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Additional Contaminants

Additional contaminants that may be in the water, air, or soil, including:
Arsenic Information
Asbestos Information
Fluoride Information
Lead & Copper in Schools
Lead & Copper Rule
Mercury Information
Perchlorate Information
Perchloroethylene (PCE) Information
Radionuclides Information
Radon Information
Sodium Information

Point of Entry/Point of Use Treatment: Frequently Asked Questions

These devices - such as carbon filters, ion treatment, reverse osmosis systems, etc. - are installed locally, either at the water service connection of a building (point of entry) or right at the tap (point of use), to treat aesthetic issues such as taste or odor or to help meet drinking water standards. August 2007.
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Public Health Frequently Asked Questions

Questions and answers about health concerns as they relate to drinking water supplies. How can a consumer find out more about the health impacts of certain ingredients or contaminants in their drinking water? Is bottled water safer to drink than public drinking water? What is a boil water alert? What is an acceptable level of risk? Answers to these questions and more. October 2008.
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2008 Standards & Guidelines for Contaminants in Massachusetts Drinking Water

The 2008 Standards & Guidelines for Contaminants are intended to provide the public with information on the safety and integrity of drinking water in Massachusetts. A maximum contaminant level (MCL), the highest concentration that is allowed in drinking water, is provided for each contaminant, with technical explanations and references. May 2008.
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Massachusetts Communities Receiving Community Water Fluoridation - Department of Public Health

139 Massachusetts communities receive fluoridated water. The list, in PDF and MS Excel formats, is linked on this webpage.
DPH Web site

West Nile Virus and Massachusetts Public Drinking Water Systems

Balancing the need to control disease-bearing insect populations and the safety of drinking water supplies. September 2008.
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West Nile Virus Application of Pesticides to Wetlands Resource Areas and Buffer Zones, and Public Water Systems

Guidance for Boards of Health to determine if mosquito control work is exempt or requires an Emergency Certification under the Wetlands Protection Act, and whether application of pesticides to a public water source for mosquito control can go forward. July 2001.
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When to Use Specific Public Health Orders

Guidance of use of Boil, Do Not Drink, and Do Not Use Orders. March 2008.
This guidance, written for water system operators, is also useful for Boards of Health in responding to water supply emergencies.
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Standards & Testing FAQs

How standards for water safety are set, what those standards mean, how they are enforced, and testing frequency. October 2008.
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Find certified laboratories for drinking water testing

Information about Massachusetts-certified analytical laboratories and a searchable online database of labs. November 2007.
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Bottled Water

MassDEP does not regulate bottled water, which is under the oversight of the Department of Public Health. We provide some informational resources on the topic here. August 2005.
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Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Frequently Asked Questions

A CCR is an annual report on drinking water quality that community public water suppliers must deliver to their customers. These reports, mandated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, are due every July 1 for the previous calendar year. October 2008.
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Contact MassDEP Drinking Water Staff

Contact information for Drinking Water staff in Boston and the regional offices. July 2008.
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Environmental Progress Report

MassDEP's annual evaluation of our program objectives for the protection of water resources in the Commonwealth. September 2008.
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Source Water Protection for Drinking Water Supplies

Resources for municipal officials, businesses and citizens on protecting surface and groundwater supplies in the Commonwealth.
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