Before we begin to design your system, TrueWaterQuality always researches the quality of your city or town water so we can optimize the filtration of your home’s water. If you have your own well we suggest comprehensive testing. Here are a couple useful resources to explore for those homeowners on Town Water who want to know what’s in their drinking water:
Do You Know Your Town's Water Quality?
Where your Drinking Water Comes From
North Andover’s drinking water comes from a surface water source, Lake Cochichewick. The lake has a length of 2.65 miles and a width just under 3/4 of a mile with 7.35 miles of shoreline. The maximum water depth of the lake is approximately 45 feet, with an average depth of 23 feet. The watershed, which in essence is an extension of the lake, has an area of approximately 2,732 acres that drains toward the lake from runoff, springs, and brooks. The lake holds approximately 4.3 billion gallons of water. The treatment plant pumps roughly 1.1 billion gallons of water every year from the lake for the treatment process, fire protection and for the delivery of clean, safe drinking water to the town. We pump on average 3.2 million gallons per day (MGD), with our high average in the summer months of 6.5—7.0 MGD. This dramatic increased stress on our water supply is mostly caused by non-essential water use such as
lawn irrigation.
EWG: Tap Water Database
The Environmental Working Group is a non- profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.
Since 2010, water utilities’ testing has found pollutants in Americans’ tap water, according to an EWG drinking water quality analysis of 30 million state water records.
The site features research and news about pollutants found in drinking water, Drinking Water Standards and Consumer Reports. What is interesting about the EWG database is that for each type of contaminant found in your town’s water the site shows the “goal” target level in addition to the Federal government’s Maximum allowable level.
Click here to see EWG’s report on North Andover water: click here https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=MA3206000
The law requires water utilities to communicate specific information to consumers in an annual report by July 1st of each year. This report is known by various names such as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), “water quality report,” or “drinking water quality report.”
The CCR provides a wealth of information, including:
The SOURCE of your drinking water (e.g., lake, river, aquifer)
The LEVELS of any contaminants found in your drinking water, and for comparison, the maximum level permitted by the EPA (the EPA’s health-based standard called the “maximum contaminant level”) The POTENTIAL health effects of any contaminant detected at levels higher than the health standard.