Boston Water Quality Analysis

Who Regulates Boston’s Water Quality?

Compared to most US cities, Boston depends on a large team of organizations, including:

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates 120 different contaminants in public water systems.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates contaminants in bottled water. 
• The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) manage the Metropolitan Boston Water System.
• The MWRA is a Massachusetts public authority that provides wholesale water services to 61 metropolitan Boston communities. They treat Boston’s water before piping it into the city.
• The DCR’s Division of Water Supply Protection protects the city’s source water in rivers and reservoirs.
• The Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) and the MWRA test and monitor the quality of Boston’s drinking water. They also publish the city’s annual drinking water quality report. 

Here’s what the BWSC and the MWRA found in their latest report:

Boston’s Annual Water Quality Report

Boston’s Water Quality Report analyzes thousands of samples from source to tap. 

In their latest report, Boston’s water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines.

Although the city passed, they detected lead levels above the EPA’s guidelines in 1 out of 10 homes. 

On the brightside, Boston was well below the EPA’s guidelines for pathogens like bacteria and parasites. 

Turbidity (cloudiness of the water) was also well below the standard. In general, low turbidity is an excellent measure of overall water quality.

Next, let’s see what the country’s leading water watch-group has to say about Boston’s agua:

Environmental Working Group Water Quality Report 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit organization that publishes reports on water quality and consumer food products. 

Their report uses results from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Database (ECHO).

Overall, the EWG has much higher standards than the federal government. 

They claim that the EPA doesn’t follow the latest medical research on the health effects of pollutants. Even worse, they haven’t updated their list of contaminants in over 20 years.

In the EWG’s latest report, they found 8 cancer-causing contaminants above healthy limits, including:

• Bromodichloromethane: 43x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Chloroform: 22x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Dibromochloromethane: 8.2x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Dichloroacetic acid: 37x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Haloacetic acids: 82x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Radium: 18x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Total trihalomethanes: 80x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Trichloroacetic acid: 6.8x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES

So which report should you listen to?

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide. 

If you want to play it safe, you can always install an in-home water filter to remove up to 99.9% of harmful pollutants, but more on that later…

For now, let’s take a closer look at where Boston gets its water:

Where Does Boston Get Its Water?

Boston’s water comes from three main sources: 

1. Quabbin Watershed
2. Wachusett Watershed
3. Ware River

Over 85% of the watersheds are forests and wetlands that naturally filter rain and snow as they flow to collection reservoirs 35 miles west of Boston.

Treating Boston’s Drinking Water

The MWRA treats Boston’s water at the John J. Carroll Water Treatment Plant in Marlborough. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of what the treatment process looks like:

• Screening to remove large debris.
• Ozonation (a byproduct of pure oxygen) to kill microorganisms. 
• Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection to further kill bacteria, viruses and parasites. 
• Coagulation and flocculation to cluster suspended solids so they’re easier to remove. 
• Chlorination to chemically disinfect the water.
• Filtration through sand and gravel for natural polishing.
• Fluoridation to prevent cavities.
• Chloramine is added to distribution pipes to protect against pathogens on the way to your tap.

Once the water is ready to leave the plant, it flows through thousands of miles of pipes to homes, businesses and hospitals throughout the city.

Testing and Monitoring Boston’s Water Quality

The MWRA and the BWSC monitor the water 24/7 before and after treatment.

In fact, they take over 1,600 water samples per month test for at least 120 different contaminants, including: 

• Bacteria: 300 to 500 water samples of coliform bacteria per week 
• PFAS: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are present in trace amounts, but below the EPA’s recommended limits
• Lead: The MWRA rigorously tests older homes that are vulnerable to lead exposure. Later on in this article, we’ll do a deep dive into the city’s issues with lead contamination. 

The MWRA works with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to monitor 150,000 acres of protected watersheds. 

Next up, let’s take a closer look at the full list of contaminants threatening Boston’s water supply:

Contaminants Threatening Boston’s Water Supply

All drinking water has some level of contaminants, whether it’s minerals and metals from rocks and soil, bacteria from animal waste, or industrial pollutants from human activity.

Here’s a full list of contaminants to lookout for:

• Pesticides and herbicides from stormwater runoff, agriculture and residential uses
• Radioactive materials from rocks and soil or mining and oil and gas production
• Organic chemicals from petroleum production, gas stations, septic systems, stormwater runoff and industrial processes
• Inorganic contaminants from wastewater, mining, farming, stormwater runoff, or oil and gas production
• Microbial contaminants, like viruses, bacteria and parasites from septic systems, sewage treatment plants, wildlife and livestock

Fortunately, recent test results found only a few contaminants in Boston’s reservoir water, and they were all well below the EPA’s standards.

After water leaves the treatment plant, though, it’s still vulnerable to one of the worst pollutants of all…

Lead and Your Health

Lead is a toxic heavy metal that can cause serious side effects when it enters the body. 

Young children and pregnant women are the most at risk for lead side effects, but really everyone is vulnerable. 

Over time, lead exposure can damage the kidneys, red blood cells and brain. 

It can even slow normal growth and development and cause learning disabilities in children. 

At low levels, lead may contribute to kidney problems and high blood pressure in adults. And just because you don’t experience symptoms right away, doesn’t mean you’re in the clear…

Lead is stored in the bones and can be released into the blood later in life. 

If you think you might have been exposed to lead, contact a healthcare professional immediately and get a blood test.

Sources of Lead In Boston’s Tap Water

Boston’s water is lead-free when it leaves the treatment plant, but it can still pick it up from pipes that contain lead. 

Although the city’s distribution pipes do not contain lead, many of the city’s service lines do. 

At the same time, many homes built before 1986 contain lead plumbing components. 

As the aging pipes corrode, they can leach lead into your family’s drinking water. 

Do You Have a Lead Service Line?

Service lines carry water a short distance from the main distribution pipes to your house. 

Lead service lines were a lot more common through the 1950’s, so if you have an older home you could be at risk. 

Fortunately, Boston has a program to replace lead service lines, but more on that in a sec…

Contact your local water department to find out if you have a lead service line.

In the meantime, though, you can check by scratching the pipe that connects to your water meter with a key. Lead pipes will show a dull grey or silver color. 

Lead or no lead, it’s still a good practice to have your water professionally tested at least once a year.  Tests only cost from $15 to $25 and you can find a certified lab by clicking here.

Keeping Lead Out of Boston’s Tap Water

The MWRA and the BWSC are taking steps to prevent lead from getting into your tap water.

They frequently test for lead in older homes, schools and childcare facilities.

Since 2016, they’ve conducted over 38,000 tests in 506 schools.

Last but not least, Boston has a Lead Replacement Incentive Program to encourage property owners to replace private lead service pipes. 

The BWSC provides up to $4,000 in financial assistance to cover replacement costs. Qualified home owners can pay for any remaining costs in interest-free installments over a 5-year period. 

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Lead Exposure

Aside from replacing lead pipes, here’s a few tips to reduce lead exposure:

• Flush your pipes for two to three minutes before using your water
• Use only cold water for drinking and cooking
• Clean your home’s faucets and aerators
• Identify and replace lead solder
• Have an electrician check your wiring for signs of lead damage
• Install an NSF-certified in-home water filter 

If you install a water filter, make sure to replace the filtration cartridges regularly! 

Lead and other contaminants can build up over time and enter your tap water. 

With that said, some high-end filters have a handy solution to that...

Should Boston Residents Use In-Home Water Filters?

A home filtration system is by far the best way to ensure safe, delicious water for you and your family. 

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are head-and-shoulders above the rest...

They combine sediment filters, activated carbon filters, ion exchange resins, RO membranes and polishing filters to remove lead, PFAS, bacteria, and up to 99.9% of all dangerous compounds.  

Cloud Water Filters even use built-in software to track your water usage and automatically send replacement filters right to your door. 

Cheers to clean water!

Click here to learn more.