Water quality

The purpose of beach testing is to test the water quality of Massachusetts swimming beach waters and to notify the public whenever bacteria levels present a potential health risk to those engaged in water activities.

While most algae are harmless to humans, some species of these microscopic organisms can make fish and people sick. The Department of Public Health monitors area beaches for algae blooms and issues advisories to the public. Learn what you can do to help protect the shore.

Around the world, freshwater species and habitats are among the most endangered. Take a look at these freshwater programs and projects designed to reconnect natural and cultural river communities and restore healthy freshwater systems.

The goal of the Massachusetts Ocean Management initiative is to ensure that waterfront areas in the Commonwealth grow in a safe, environmentally sound, and economically prosperous manner, preserving the natural resources we currently use as sources of energy while adding both traditional and new uses, including renewable energy.

Since people, businesses, wildlife, and natural lands all need adequate water, the Commonwealth must follow sustainable water policy guidelines to support ecological needs while meeting the requirements of regional economic growth, supporting high-quality jobs, increasing housing affordability, enhancing tourism, and maintaining a high quality of life that includes recreational opportunities and vital habitats.

Sewer and septic systems are designed to handle and treat "blackwater" (wastewater from toilets) and "graywater" coming from our sinks, showers, dishwashers, and laundry machines. On-site septic and community-wide sewer systems work in similar ways, utilizing micro-organisms to filter out bacteria, viruses, and other disease-causing pathogens before releasing the cleansed water back into the environment.

We use tremendous amounts of energy to move water, force it through filters and run treatment technologies, all to produce clean water both for drinking water and to treat our wastewater. In turn, we use tremendous amounts of water to create electricity, to cool power plants using nuclear, coal, or petroleum-based fuels, to extract fossil fuels from the earth, and as a source of energy itself in hydropower and hydrokinetic systems. Learn more about the how water and energy are linked, the challenges this interdependence poses, and how the Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Resource Protection is addressing the challenges.

Water conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce our demand for water and save energy. Get tips on conserving water indoors and outdoors, including using rain barrels and reclaiming wastewater for reuse. Plus find instructions for community water suppliers on the best way to educate the public about water conservation. Also, find out which Massachusetts towns/cities have implemented drought advisories and water use restrictions.

The goal of the federal Clean Water Act is restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological purity of the nation's waters so that they can support "the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on the water." Learn more about the Clean Water Act and the state laws enacted to protect the Commonwealth’s rivers, wetlands, tidelands, Great Ponds, and non-tidal rivers and streams.

Pesticide contamination of ground water is a subject of national importance because ground water is used for drinking water by about 50 percent of the nation's population. Find out what herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides could potentially impact groundwater, download the Groundwater Protection Program Notification Form if you plan to apply a pesticide product listed on the Groundwater Protection Lists, and find out how to apply for a permit to use Acetochlor products.

Many aspects of the use and development of land affect the quality of nearby streams, which then flow into reservoirs and other sources of water supply, sometimes polluting them. Find out what the Massachusetts Watershed-Based Plan (WBP) is and how Massachusetts plans to restore water quality in the Commonwealth.

Coastal wetlands are directly adjacent to the ocean and include beaches, salt marshes, dunes, coastal banks, rocky intertidal shores, and barrier beaches. Inland wetlands are areas where water is at or just below the surface of the ground. Wetlands help clean drinking water supplies, prevent flooding and storm damage, and support a variety of wildlife. Find out what the Department of Environmental Protection is doing to protect and conserve the state's wetlands.