Peabody Community Letter 2021

Dear Customer,

Peabody’s drinking water is mainly supplied by the Coolidge and Winona Water Treatment Plants. MWRA provides supplemental drinking water during high water demand months. There are four water storage tanks in the distribution system that provide water storage, water pressure, and fire protection. A voluntary water restriction continues to be in effect and we ask our customers to practice conservation measures. For further information on Peabody’s water quality, or to learn about public meetings, contact the Peabody Public Services Department at (978) 536-0600 or go to: peabody-ma.gov/public%20services.html.

Water Treatment: Coolidge and Winona Water Treatment Plants implement the following treatment steps: 1) Coagulation and sedimentation, which removes particles from the water through flocculation, and then settling and filtration, which removes the remaining particles out of the water; 2) Primary disinfection, which uses free chlorine to kill the harmful microbes, and secondary disinfection, which uses monochloramine to control biological activity in the distribution system, and; 3) Fluoride is added to our drinking water for dental health. Additionally, at Coolidge, free chlorine is used for pretreatment to oxidize the iron and manganese in the source water during the fall and winter months.

Source of Water: Winona water (42% of total) is pumped from Winona Pond. Coolidge water (32% of total) is pumped from Suntaug Lake and Spring Pond (26%). The source for Suntaug Lake and Winona Pond is the Ipswich River. Under MassDEP’s Water Management Act Reg- ulations, withdrawing water from the Ipswich River is only allowed during winter and spring months. The DEP has characterized our surface water source susceptibility as moderate to high. For more information, please visit: www.mass.gov/service-details/the-source-water-assessment-protection-swap-program . Peabody has initiated a Clean and Sustainable Water Future Use Plan. The final phase consisting of interior work and treatment process changes will be completed in May 2022. We also continue to use Solitude Lake Management for the prevention of seasonal algal growth that can cause taste and odor issues.

Lead and Copper: Peabody’s water was tested for lead and copper in 2021. The 90th percentile for all lead samples results was 1.35 parts per billion (ppb), well below the Action Level (AL) of 15 ppb. Copper levels were at 48.3 ppb, below the AL of 1300 ppb for copper. The City has also removed another 13 lead goosenecks as part of the Lead Service Line Replacement Program.

Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Peabody tested for PFAS6 in 2021 with results ranging from 9.7-12 ppt (parts per trillion) and averaging 11 ppt from Winona WTP, and ranging from 9.4-12.3 ppt, and averaging 11 ppt from the Coolidge Avenue WTP. MassDEP issued a standard for PFAS6 of 20 ppt in October 2020. Both samples met the new standard. For further information, please visit www.mass.gov/info-details/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas. MassDEP issued a Notice of Non-Compliance (NON) to Peabody for not collecting and testing water samples for PFAS in April of 2021.
 

Samples From The Distribution System

1 – Highest level reported as required.