Milford Water Company in an effort to help reduce TTHM levels throughout the system is working with its engineers to install an Activated Carbon layer in one of our slow sand filters here at the Dilla Street Treatment Plant which will help reduce the amount of organics in the water which in turn will help lower the TTHM levels in the system. To date our engineers have collected all of the data needed to create an installation plan and design and will be presenting to the MassDEP this week, the Draft Plans are now available for view. There are still a few logistical issues that need to be worked on before the installation can begin and as always we must get approval from the DEP. The Company has set a realistic timeframe for the installation to be completed and functioning to be near the end of October and expect to see lowered THM levels during the 4th quarter. We will continue to update the website as things progress.

MWC took another round of TTHM on August 25th and are now available for view. The results again remain high and we are continuing to conduct spot flushing and monitoring the chlorine levels in the system. We had originally planned to conduct another sample round during the week of the 15th but elected to do some Total Organic Carbon (TOC) instead to see if these levels had dropped with the addition of our Clarks Island Wellfield being blended with the surface waters of Echo Lake. These levels changed very little from our previous TOC monitoring prior to its addition, the Company had expected to see some change in the levels these results are now available for view as well. MWC will be conducting its regular quarterly sample round of TTHM and Haa5 prior to September 30th. As always Milford Water Company is committed to providing to our customers the highest quality of drinking water available and we continue to strive to improve our system and our customer service.

TTHM Sample results as of 8/25/2011

Total Organic Carbon Results

Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) layer

Milford Water Company in an effort to help reduce TTHM levels throughout the system is working with its engineers to install an Activated Carbon layer in one of our slow sand filters here at the Dilla Street Treatment Plant which will help reduce the amount of organics in the water which in turn will help lower the TTHM levels in the system. This was done in Winthrop Maine with good success where they were experiencing the same type of issues with TTHM in their system. Within the next two weeks we should have all of the details needed and be able to provide an expected completion date once we have this we will update this site.

MWC took another round of TTHM on August 4th and are now available for view. The results remain high at this time and we are continuing to conduct spot flushing and monitoring the chlorine levels in the system. We will conduct another round of TTHM during the week of August 15th.

As always Milford Water Company is committed to providing to our customers the highest quality of drinking water available and we continue to strive to improve our system and our customer service.

Click Here to download the August 4th TTHM Test Results

This notice is to advise our customers that our water system is in noncompliance with the drinking water standards for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs). Similar notices were issued to you in January and April of this year for this ongoing violation. Although 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 are required to monitor the drinking water for TTHMs levels on a quarterly basis (once every three months). The results of last quarter’s sampling were received on July 7, 2011 and show that our system exceeds the standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for TTHMs. The standard for TTHMs is 80 parts per billion (ppb) and is determined on a quarterly basis by averaging all samples collected by our system for the last 12 months. The average level of TTHMs between July 2010 and June 2011 was 82 ppb.

What does this mean?
This is not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified right away. There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water, use an alternative (e.g., bottled) water supply or take other corrective actions. However, pregnant women, infants, and women of childbearing age may be at increased risk and should seek advice from their health care providers if they have any concerns. Some people who drink water containing (TTHMs) trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

What happened? What is being done?
TTHMs are a byproduct of chlorine disinfection which forms when chlorine combines with natural organic matter commonly found in surface water supplies. TTHMs levels can vary depending on a number of factors including the amount of chlorine used, amount of organic plant material in water sources, temperature, and seasons. The MWC is working to reduce the TTHM levels while also maintaining appropriate levels of disinfectant in the water necessary to avoid bacterial issues. MWC is working with MassDEP on evaluating immediate short-term operations changes and long-term upgrades to the treatment plant and system with the intention of correcting this issue.

MWC has done some research and has found that some activated carbon type filters can help remove or lower chlorine and TTHM levels. For more information on filters please refer to US EPA Filter Facts at http://water.epa.gov/aboutow/ogwdw/upload/2005_11_17_faq_fs_healthseries_filtration.pdf.

A question and answer document on health effects, precautions, and water treatment options for TTHMs has been provided by MassDEP and is available on the MWC website. You can also contact the US EPA Safe Drinking Water Hot Line at #1-800-426-4791.

For more information please visit the company website at www.milfordwater.com or contact David L. Condrey, General Manager, at 508-473-5110 or Milford Water Company, 66 Dilla Street, Milford, MA 01757.

This notice is being sent to you by Milford Water Company
PWS ID#: 2185000
Date distributed: July 14, 2011

LINKS:

• Question and Answer Guide to TTHM’s Exceedence of Milford Water Company Public Water System - July 2011
• Sample Locations for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

The Stage III Modified Mandatory Water Conservation Alert has been LOWERED to a Stage II– meaning that outside water use is permitted on an ODD / EVEN basis between the hours of 7pm and 7am. Those customers with even house numbers may use water on even calendar days and those with odd house numbers may use water on odd calendar days. Limited use will also be allowed fire protection during the “BURN SEASON” only. This restriction limits the use of water to a hand held hose only and will run until further notice and should there be any changes in the status of the restriction you will be properly notified at that time.

Milford Water Company would like to thank all of its customers for their cooperation and patience during the recent Stage III Water Conservation Alert. By working together during the drought conditions we were able to make it through the dry period without the need to purchase water from our neighboring communities.

As reminder to all please visit our conservation tips page. The more we conserve now will mean the more water we will have in the future.

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although 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 monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants and perform 100’s of tests each year. Testing results we received on January 3, 2011 show that our system exceeds the standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) during 2010. The standard for TTHMs is 80 ug/L and is determined by averaging all samples collected by our system for the last 12 months. The average level of TTHMs between January 2010 and December 2010 was 81 ug/L.

What should I do?

There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water, use an alternative (e.g., bottled) water supply or take other corrective actions. However, if you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.

What does this mean?

This is not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. However, some people who drink water containing (TTHMs) trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

What happened? What is being done?

TTHMs are a byproduct of chlorine disinfection which form when free chlorine combines with organic matter commonly found in surface water supplies. The level of TTHMs formed can vary and depends of a number of factors including amount of chlorine used, amount of organic plant material in water sources, temperature and seasons. In an effort to reduce the TTHM levels, the Milford Water Company is evaluating the problem and consulting with an outside engineering firm to determine the best possible solution to this problem while maintaining comfortable levels of disinfection. We anticipate our efforts will result in reduced TTHM levels within the next sample period, January-March 2011 and will keep you informed.

We are in contact with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) who will also evaluate the effectiveness of the steps taken to see if any further action is required.

For more information please contact David L. Condrey, General Manager, at 508-473-5110 or Milford Water Company, 66 Dilla Street, Milford, MA 01757.

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.