MORE INFORMATION Annual Water Quality Reports Monthly Water Quality Reports All Water Tests

A recent article in the New York Times and a report released by the NRDC discusses atrazine in drinking water, and how it is often detected across the US.  MWRA tests for atrazine regularly and has never detected it in MWRA water.

Atrazine is a commonly used herbicide that is used in agriculture, particularly in corn farming.  It is also frequently used as a weed killer.  Atrazine in drinking water is regulated by the EPA at 3 parts per billion.

Atrazine would not be expected to be found in MWRA source waters, the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs.  Both large reservoirs are very well protected, surrounded mostly by conservation lands and forests with very limited agriculture activity.  Over 85 percent of the watershed lands are undeveloped forests or wetlands.  Herbicides, like atrazine, and pesticides are a significant concern in waters that are near large agricultural centers and to a lesser extent in watersheds that have a lot of residences where lawn chemical run-off could be a concern. 

MWRA and your local water department test thousands of water samples each week under strict federal and state guidelines.  Overall testing results are available in our monthly and annual reports on our website – www.mwra.com or by calling 617-242-5323. 

###

Back to top

Updated August 24, 2009