News & Features
June 2005

ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT
THE BROOKFIELD WATER DEPARTMENT

As required by the Safe Drinking Water Act
Calendar Year 2004
Public Water Supply #2045000
Contact Person: Bruce Clarke, Water Superintendent
508-867-5722 Ext 17

The Annual Water Quality Report provides information about the water we supplied to our customers in calendar year 2004. This report is designed to inform you about the quality and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources.

Water Commissioners
Roger Charpentier Jr., Chairman
Robert Barnes, Member
Joseph Murray, Member

Staff
Bruce Clarke, Superintendent
Holly Murray, Administrative Clerk

Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Brookfield Town Hall. Your input and participation would be valued for any who wish to attend.

Where Your Water Comes From
Brookfield’s water comes entirely from groundwater sources. The Water Department has four wells located off of Quaboag Street on Herbert Road in East Brookfield. Brookfield’s source protection is provided by a zoning by law entitled Wellhead Protection Overlay District, and by the Town of East Brookfield in the form of Ground Water Protection District Zoning.

Brookfield operates four wells:
# 0-4G and #0-5G produce 70 gallons per minute
# 0-3G produces 150 gallons per minute
# 0-2G produces 400 gallons per minute
Brookfield’s water system is also connected to the West Brookfield water system for an emergency backup source.

Drinking Water Treatment
Brookfield operates a Department of Environmental Protection-approved iron and manganese treatment facility. This facility reduces iron and manganese in water by injecting oxygen-enriched water in well #0-2G. Iron and manganese are considered secondary contaminants, which means their effects are aesthetic (taste, color, and odor) rather than health-based.

The Brookfield Water Department uses potassium hydroxide to adjust the acidity (pH) of the water for corrosion control. This minimizes the leaching of lead and copper from water pipes, joints, and fixtures into the water.

Water Department Information
If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please contact the Brookfield Water Department Office in the Town Hall. Office hours are Monday and Friday, 10 a.m.-noon. The contact person is Bruce Clarke, superintendent, at 508-867-5722 Ext. 17 (office) or 508-867-3377 (home).

Definitions
Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL: The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology. MCLs are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink two liters of water every day at the MCL for 70 years to have a one in 10,000 to one in 1,000,000 chance of having the described health effect.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG: The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Action Level or AL: The concentration of a contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers treatment, or other requirements, which a water system must follow.

90th Percentile: Out of every 10 homes sampled, nine were at or below this level.

ppm: parts per million, or milligrams per liter (mg/L)

ppb: parts per billion, or micrograms per liter (ug/L)

Water Quality Data
Brookfield Water Department tests four sites monthly for bacteria and routinely tests your drinking water according to federal and state laws. The tables below show the results of our monitoring for the period of Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2004, unless otherwise noted. Only detected substances have been listed. Many other tests are conducted.

LEAD and COPPER
The water department tests for lead and copper on a three-year schedule. The results reported are from our most recent testing. Lead and copper compliance is based on the 90th percentile value, which represents the highest concentration found in 90% of the homes sampled.

Source Water Assessment Program (S.W.A.P.)
The DEP has reviewed the area that could affect the quality of our water. This area is known as zone II, and is protected by a Brookfield bylaw titled “Wellhead Protection Overlay District”. Also protected by East Brookfield by laws. The SWAP report noted that Brookfield is at high threat for possible contamination due to the fact that our wells are close to a river, which could be effected by the Rt. 9 and the railroad which pass very close to this waterway. Brookfield will be seeking ways to avoid a possible contamination situation. This report is available at the Brookfield Water Department by request.

Sanitary Survey
A sanitary survey was conducted by the DEP on July 18, 2003 to review the entire water system. The following corrective actions have taken place: installation of a continuous pH monitor, increased total coliform sampling plan, inspection of electrical transformers. These were the only corrective actions mandated by this survey. Other recommended actions are being reviewed and the following actions have been taking place. The Brookfield Water Department has had a new standpipe designed and has applied for a Community Development Block Grant to cover the cost of this project. The Town of Brookfield was awarded a grant, which will enable us to replace water mains on Sherman Street and Lower River Street.

Backflow Prevention/Cross Connection
Protecting drinking water from contamination must be preformed at the point of use from which contaminates could possibly enter the water system through a siphon action, underground sprinkler systems, swimming pools and other common sources. Commercial and industrial customers must have testable backflow devices attached to their water supply. Homeowners should have outside faucet hose bibs and backflow check valves to stop any potential hazard.

Water Saving Measures
1. Water your lawn and garden in the evening or early morning only when needed.
2. Look for and fix leaky faucets, pipes and plumbing fixtures, including outdoor plumbing.
3. Two drips per minute waste over 100 gallons of water per year. A leaky toilet can waste 100 gallons of water per day.
4. Take shorter showers and turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth or shaving.
5. Install low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators and water saving toilets.

Substances Found in Tap Water
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small accounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immune-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health.

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:
Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Pesticides and Herbicides that may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.
Inorganic Contaminants, such as salts and metals, that can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

Organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals that are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Radioactive Contaminants that can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

Please call our office at 508-867-5722 Ext. 17 if you have any questions about your water or if you would like to receive additional copies of this report. We at the Brookfield Water Department strive to provide you with top quality water. We ask that all help protect our water sources. Please report any suspicious activity that may affect our water supply to the Brookfield Police Department at 508-867-5570 or 911 (emergency only).