Hanson Water Department

Water Program Improvements The Hanson water system undergoes regular inspection by the Massachusetts Division of Environment Protection (DEP) to ensure technical, financial, and managerial capacity to deliver safe water to residents. Our system is operated by Boston-certified professionals who oversee daily operations to maintain quality standards.

Public Participation Opportunities If you're interested in discussing water quality issues, please join our regularly scheduled meetings. The Board of Water Commissioners meets on the second and fourth Wednesday monthly at 6:00 PM at the Water Department office (1073 West Washington Street).

Water Source History The Hanson Water Department was established in 1916. From its founding until the early 1980s, Hanson purchased water from the City of Brockton and the Abington/Rockland Combined Waterworks. Since then, Hanson has developed its own water supply at the Crystal Spring Well Area on Main Street. We maintain one interconnection with Brockton's system at Routes 28 and 58 as a backup supply. For information about Brockton's water supply, call (508) 580-7825.

Water Treatment Process Our water system works diligently to provide safe, pure drinking water. Hanson's groundwater is naturally corrosive (pH below 7.0), which can corrode metal piping and potentially add harmful metals like lead and copper to your water. To improve quality, we treat with sodium hydroxide to raise pH to non-corrosive levels, reducing lead and copper presence. We also add minimal chlorine as a precaution against potential bacteria. Water quality is continuously monitored to determine treatment effectiveness and needs.

Source Water Protection The DEP has prepared a Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) Report analyzing the vulnerability of our drinking water sources to contamination. The Hanson SWAP report is available at the Water Department Office (1073 West Washington Street) and on the DEP website at www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/swapreps.htm. For more information, contact Jerry Davis, Water Superintendent at 781-447-1200.

System Vulnerability Assessment Hanson's 2003 SWAP report identifies the main recharge area (Zone II) for the Crystal Spring Well Area as primarily forest and wetland with small areas of cropland, residential, commercial, industrial and waste disposal land use. Our wells are located in aquifers with high vulnerability due to the absence of clay barriers that could prevent contaminant migration. This vulnerability rating reflects potential contamination risk, not actual water quality issues.

How Residents Can Help Protect Water Resources:

• Practice proper septic system maintenance
• Support water supply protection initiatives at town meetings
• Dispose of hazardous household chemicals at designated collection events
• Limit pesticide and fertilizer use

Understanding Tap Water Content Municipal water, including bottled water, may reasonably contain small amounts of some contaminants. Their presence doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects is available by calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Water sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over land or underground, it dissolves natural minerals, sometimes radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal presence or human activity.

Potential contaminants include:

• Microbial contaminants (viruses, bacteria) from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, livestock operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants (salts, metals) either naturally-occurring or from urban runoff, industrial/domestic wastewater, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture, urban runoff, and residential uses
• Organic chemicals (synthetic and volatile organics) from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants either naturally occurring or from oil/gas production and mining

Drinking water regulations from the Department and EPA limit contaminant levels in public water systems. FDA and Massachusetts Department of Public Health regulations establish similar protections for bottled water.

Health Information Lead: Elevated lead levels can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water primarily comes from materials in service lines and home plumbing. While we provide quality water, we cannot control plumbing materials. When water sits unused for several hours, minimize lead exposure by flushing taps for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using for drinking or cooking. If concerned, consider water testing. Information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Sodium: Those with hypertension, kidney failure, or congestive heart failure should be aware of sodium levels in their water supply.

Manganese: Natural manganese in drinking water exceeding 50 µg/L may cause discoloration and taste issues. EPA recommends lifetime consumption below 300 µg/L and limited short-term consumption of water with higher levels.

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