HATFIELD — Tests indicating high levels of manganese in the West Hatfield Well have forced the town to temporarily shut down that secondary source of public drinking water. The town has also implemented a voluntary ban on non-essential water use.
Residents were alerted Friday that the well was taken off line July 17 after samples collected in the spring revealed manganese levels exceeding the state Department of Environmental Protection advisory level.
Anthony Lastowski, the certified water operator for the town, said Tuesday that there is no public health concern. Manganese is a common naturally occurring mineral found in rocks, soil, groundwater and surface water.
Infants and children younger than 12 months old are potentially most susceptible to excess manganese exposure because of their developing neurological and gastrointestinal systems, according to a state DEP advisory on the mineral. The state agency recommends that infants up to 1 year of age should not be given water with manganese concentrations greater than 0.3 milligrams per liter for more than a total of 10 days in a year, nor should the water be used to make formula for more than a total of 10 days in a year.
People with health-related worries about manganese are advised to speak with their health care provider, according to the town’s alert.
“The water is relatively safe to drink. There is no need for bottled water,” Lastowski said.
Samples taken May 8 and June 12 from the West Hatfield Well show an average manganese level of 0.706 milligrams per liter, more than double the advisory level of .3 milligrams per liter.
Since then, the West Hatfield Well has been retested twice, including July 24. The first resample shows the manganese level below the advisory level, Lastowski said, while the second resample results are expected later this week.
Lastowski said all the water sources, which also includes the primary Running Gutter Brook Reservoir and the secondary Omasta Well, have been tested for manganese since 2014. Only the May 8 sample at West Hatfield Well, with 1.2 milligrams of manganese per liter, exceeded the advisory level.
“We think it’s possibly a one off,” Lastowski said.
Still, residents were notified that if the West Hatfield Well is put back on line, there are precautions that they can take, including making infant formula with bottled water or other sources of water, or using bottled water or another source of water for infants less than 1 year of age.
“The general population may continue to use the water since it is anticipated that this issue will be resolved before long-term exposures occur,” the town’s notice states.
The advisory comes as Hatfield implements a voluntary ban on non-essential water use, such as watering lawns.
“Try and conserve if you can,” Lastowski said.
The water ban is the result of recent rainy weather, which makes the Running Gutter Brook Reservoir susceptible to contamination from runoff.
Lastowksi said while this water can and will be filtered, there will be more effort to bypass use of the reservoir, and instead use the wells, because of the current circumstances.
Another advisory will be made to the public when the latest West Hatfield Well testing samples are complete. Lastowski said residents can sign up for the Code Red system in which people are alerted by phone when there are changes to the town’s water system.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
