GLOUCESTER – Report From the City of Gloucester website
Gloucester Water Customers:
You may have noticed some discoloration in your drinking water recently. This is caused by high levels of manganese in our surface water supply. These levels are not a local problem but are occurring throughout the region. Manganese is a naturally occurring mineral and is present in the environment from the weathering of natural sources like rock and soil. Excessive precipitation and runoff increase the concentration of manganese in Gloucester’s surface waters.
Gloucester’s contract operator, Veolia Water, is changing drinking water reservoirs soon, and improvements should be seen within the next 10 days
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Manganese is currently included on federal and state Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) lists for drinking water. SMCLs are based on aesthetic considerations (such as color and taste), not health considerations. The SMCL for manganese is 0.05 milligrams per liter (mg/l). Manganese levels above the SMCL can lead to water discoloration, staining of fixtures, and/or a bitter, metallic taste. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has established public health advisory levels for manganese in drinking water. Over a lifetime, the USEPA recommends that people consume water with manganese levels less than 0.3 mg/l, and less than 1.0 mg/l over short-term periods. Infants less than 1 year of age should not be given water with manganese levels above 0.3 mg/l, nor should formula be made for infants with that water for longer than 10 days.
As of today, August 23rd, Veolia Water measured the manganese levels leaving the treatment plant at 0.049 mg/l. The City of Gloucester continues to provide safe water to its customers, well within all state and federal SMCL limits. Weekly bacteriological sampling continues to be conducted and results remain negative.
If you have experienced laundry staining, the Public Works Department has a product that it offers for free that removes these stains. You can pick it up at Gloucester Public Works at 28 Poplar St, Gloucester, MA.
If you have any questions, please contact the City of Gloucester Department of Public Works at 978-325-5600.
For Additional Information:
CDC Manganese ToxFAQs: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
MassDEP Manganese Fact Sheet:L https://www.mass.gov/…/
