MWRA DELIVERS ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has begun mailing its Annual Water Quality Report to every household in the service area.

The report, required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, updates consumers on last year’s water quality results.  MWRA takes up to 500 samples each week and, of the 120 possible contaminants tested for, MWRA met every standard.  In addition, the MWRA system as a whole was below the Lead Action Level.  According to executive director Frederick A. Laskey, “The report includes a lot of important information, but the basic message is the results are excellent. MWRA water is top quality.”

Over the last ten years, MWRA has made an enormous investment in improving the water system, including the 17.6-mile MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel and five covered storage facilities. This summer, a new state-of-the-art water treatment plant will come on-line that uses ozone instead of chlorine for primary disinfection. MWRA believes customers may even notice that the water tastes better.

The report also includes tips on how to reduce the risk of lead exposure in your home.  Community-specific inserts also provide information about municipal water systems.

MWRA distributes the report through bulk mail to over 900,000 homes in 41 cities and towns.  Look for it in your mailbox. 

The report is also available on-line at <http://www.mwra.com/annual/waterreport/2004results/2004results.htm>.  A Spanish version will also be available soon.