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UCMR Page for Chicopee: 2020
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Research for New Regulations

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) periodically requires water systems across the country to conduct monitoring for substances that may be present in drinking water to help understand their national occurrence as part of the process of deciding whether to regulate them. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments, EPA established the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule and is required once every five years to develop a list of up to 30 new contaminants that must be monitored during a three year period by public water systems that meet the criteria for sampling. This monitoring is used by EPA to understand the frequency and level of occurrence of unregulated contaminants in the nation’s public water systems (PWSs).

EPA will collect and analyze data for all three years and from systems all across the country to develop an understanding of the occurrence, level and distribution of these substances in drinking water. That data, along with information on potential health effects and water treatment effectiveness will be used by EPA to determine if any new regulations are needed.

2020 UCMR Test Results for Chicopee

Substance	Measurement Units	Average	Range
Manganese	parts per billion (ppb)	2.8	2.1 - 3.7
Manganese is a common mineral that naturally occurs in rocks and soil, and is commonly found in ground and surface waters in New England. It may also be present due to underground pollution sources. Manganese is an essential minieral for proper digestion, bone development and immune function. Primary sources in the diet include grains, beans, buts and teas. At excessively high levels, however, manganese can have adverse neurological effects. EPA has a secondary, aesthetic standard of 50 ppb. Above the 50 ppb level, consumers may notice a gray or lack coloring in their water and/or fixture staining. To be protective of public health MassDEP has a health guideline value of 300 ppb, and Consumer Confidence Report Notification Limit of 50 ppb. Chicopee's results are well below the state and EPA health and aesthetic standards.

Substance	Measurement Units	Average	Range
HAA5	ppb	43.96	18.1 - 63.5
HAA6Br	ppb	4.39	2.31 - 5.56
HAA9	ppb	48.34	20.4 - 68.8
Bromochloroacetic Acid	ppb	1.11	0.31 - 2.04
Bromodichloroacetic Acid	ppb	3.15	2 - 3.9
Chlorodibromoacetic Acid	ppb	0.13	0 - 0.36
Haloacetic acids (HAA) are a group of disinfection byproducts that form when chlorine compounds that are used to disinfect water react with other naturally occurring material in the water. There are five significant HAA's potentially found in disinfected drinking water and their combined concentration is referred to as HAA5. HAA5's are already regulated by the EPA and MassDEP and have a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standard of 60 ppb as a locational running annual average. HAA9 and HAA6Br include four more HAA compounds that are not currently regulated by EPA or MassDEP. Tribromoacetic acid was not detected in sampls of Chicopee water. If all 9 species in the HAA9 group were combined, Chicopee's water would still be well below the current HAA5 MCL of 60 ppb, with an average of around 48.34 ppb.

How will this data be used?

EPA will collect and analyze data for all three years and from systems all across the country to develop an understanding of the occurrence, level and distribution of these substances in drinking water. That data, along with information on potential health effects and water treatment effectiveness will be used by EPA to determine if any new regulations are needed.