by Lonnie Brennan
GEORGETOWN – Residents received a double-side printed letter last week advising them the water they have been drinking has been “in violation,” on-going, since May 2025. The letter, however, states that “this is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified within 24 hours.”
Under the headline of “What should you do?” the letter states: “You can choose to limit the amount of tap water used if you are pregnant, may become pregnant or are giving water to young children. For example, you can use water from another source, such as bottled water.”
The issue stems from a notification the department states they initially issued earlier this year and followed up with routine monitoring of drinking water contaminants since that time. Specifically, “the level of haloacetic acid (HAA5) at our system’s 12 Bailey Lane location, was 66 ug/L. The standard is 60 ug/L for HAA5.”
In italicized type, they write “Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.”
The headline: “Elevated Disinfection Byproducts at Georgetown Water Department” is followed by a narrative detailing that “Our water system exceeded a drinking water standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL, for a water disinfection byproduct (DBP).”
The letter recaps that “Chlorine or ozone are added to drinking water sources to disinfect drinking water. They can interact with natural material in the water to form DBP.”
Since the detection of the contaminants, the department states that it took steps this summer to reduce the amount of water held in storage tanks to reduce stagnation. They will “also continue to look for potential causes and reduce the amount of disinfection byproduct precursors.”
The letter notes that a “new pre-treatment filtration building is nearing its100% design completion and that it will improve our operations and water quality. We hope to put this project out to Bid soon.”
The notice concludes with a request:
“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).”
ThemoFisher Scientific is one of several companies and government agencies concerned with monitoring disinfection byproducts. They cite increased risk of cancer, problems with the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) fact sheet on haloacetic acids in drinking water from last year states: “Pregnant women or those who may become pregnant may be more susceptible to effects from chemicals such as those referred to as HAA5. Children (including infants) are generally considered more sensitive to the effects of chemicals like those of HAA5 than others in the general population and typically also consume more water for their size than adults.
“The degree of risk for these effects will depend on the HAA5 level and the duration of exposure. Consumption of water with HAA5 levels somewhat above the MCL for limited durations, for example, while corrective actions are being taken to lower the levels, is not likely to significantly increase risks of adverse health effects for most people.”
(www.mass.gov/doc/factsheet-
haloacetic-acids-in-drinking-
water-information-for-consumers/download) ♦
