Town of Braintree

Important Information About Your Drinking Water

Important Information About Your Drinking Water

Your Water May Contain Elevated Levels of Lead
Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. This is a treatment violation, but it does not mean there is lead in your drinking water. However, it is important that we take measures to control lead levels in the water, because ingesting lead can cause serious health consequences. Even though this is not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation.

We routinely sample water at selected sites throughout the town for lead. Recent tests taken in June 2003 showed lead levels at several locations above the limit, or “action level,” so we are required to update our corrosion control treatment. This treatment helps to prevent the lead in your pipes and plumbing fixtures from dissolving into the water. The Braintree Water System has installed corrosion control upgrades this past July 2003. Installation is complete.



What should I do?
Listed below are some steps you can take to reduce your exposure to lead:

•Call us at the number below to find out how to get your water tested for lead.
•Find out whether your pipes contain lead or lead solder.
•Run your water for 15-30 seconds or until it becomes cold before using it for drinking or cooking. This flushes any standing lead from the pipes.
•Don’t cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily into hot water.
•Do not boil your water to remove lead. Excessive boiling water makes the lead more concentrated - the lead remains when the water evaporates.



What does this mean and what is being done?
Typically, lead enters water supplies by leaching from lead or brass pipes and plumbing components. New lead pipes and plumbing components containing lead are no longer allowed for this reason; however, many older homes may contain lead pipes. Your water is more likely to contain high lead levels if water pipes in or leading to your home are made of lead or contain lead solder.

Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.

Several customer tap water samples taken in June 2003 showed elevated levels of lead above the Action Level of 0.015 mg/L. However, this is not an emergency. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. Please follow the suggestions outlined above to minimize your risk of exposure to lead through drinking water. Upgrades and corrective actions to improve our corrosion control program have already been implemented. We will be conducting another round of tap water sampling at lead sites in February 2004. You will be notified in the future regarding the results of the February 2004 sampling event. In addition, we will be forwarding to you supplemental lead education material soon.

For more information, please contact Lou Dutton at 781-843-9205. The Water and Sewer Department is located at: 2 JFK Memorial Drive, Braintree, MA 02184.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by:The Braintree Water and Sewer Department PWS ID#: MA3040000
December 5, 2003

Email us
ldutton@beld.net