Example of possibly misleading advertisement

Residents in some MWRA communities are being frightened, and possibly misled, into making unnecessary purchases of water treatment systems by advertisements that tell them there is an issue with their drinking water. For example, one mailing tells residents their water has “…3 times as much chlorine…than in a swimming pool.”

Since 2005, the primary disinfectant for your water is ozone – made with pure oxygen – which leaves no taste or odor, and in fact improves the natural taste of the water.

MWRA, like nearly all water suppliers, does add some chlorine in the form of mono-chloramine at levels well below EPA’s health standards. This mild disinfectant protects the water as it travels through miles of pipelines to your home. Since the switch to ozone, levels of disinfection by-products have declined by nearly 90%.

Information on your water quality is always available on our website. The test results have been analyzed by MWRA’s certified laboratories and MWRA’s licensed operators using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques.

If you have any questions about your drinking water, please contact Joshua Das, Public Health Manager, or call our 24-Hour Water Quality Hotline: (617) 242-5323.

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