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 was again below the Lead Action Level. 

Since the start-up of the John J. Carroll Water Treatment Plant in July 2005, water quality has continued to improve and the plant is operating even better than expected.

According to MWRA executive director Frederick A. Laskey, “Ozone provides better disinfection, allows us to use less chlorine, and has made the water taste 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 is now working on projects to provide much-needed redundancy and storage to parts of the water system.

Laskey also notes that, thanks to water conservation efforts by the agency and its customers, water usage in the MWRA service area has decreased by over 100 million gallons a day since the late 1980s.

MWRA distributes the report to over 800,000 homes in 40 cities and towns.  Look for it in your mailbox.  The report is also available on-line.

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