An Update on the Manganese Level in Town Water

Received from Howard Labs yesterday, January 26, 2023
Bob,

The results just came back. The Manganese in the Raw Water is 0.0508 mg/L with a suggested MCL of 0.05 mg/L. However, the water entering the distribution system (POE) has 0.0108 mg/L. Therefore, the filter is removing the Manganese, as it should. I will forward the uploaded data tomorrow or Monday.

Mickey S.
Howard Laboratories
So. Deerfield MA  01373
Below is the Public Health Alert from Dec. 15, 2022, so you can compare the levels.

Hinsdale Public Health Alert
Elevated Manganese Detected in the Town’s Water

Manganese is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, soil, air, groundwater, and surface water. Manganese is an essential nutrient used by the body for metabolism, immune system function, digestion, bone strength, and as a cofactor in many enzymes. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is in receipt of Hinsdale’s latest manganese results- collected from the Town’s Public Water System. The manganese level reported in the sample collected on 11/21/22 was 1.87 mg/L.

Hinsdale’s Water Supply has had high levels of Manganese in the past, and we have issued similar advisories. The recent manganese test indicates the finished water is greater than 0.30 mg/L, MassDEP’s Office of Research and Standards Guidance Level (ORSGL) for Manganese. Past manganese results have also been above the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) of 0.05 mg/L, which could cause water discoloration, especially for a system that uses pH adjustment for corrosion control.

MassDEP recommends that people drink water with manganese levels less than 0.30 mg/L over a lifetime. It also recommends that people limit their water consumption with levels over 1.0 mg/L, primarily to decrease the possibility of adverse neurological effects. Infants up to one year should not be given water with Manganese over 0.30 mg/L, nor should formula for infants be made with that water for more than ten (10) days throughout the year.

For more information, please read the attached PDF, and visit the MassDEP website at: https://search.mass.gov/?q=maganese+in+drinking+water&org=massachusetts-department-of-environmental-protection.

This is headed in the right direction. However, the DEP requires more from the Town before we are back in good standing. This is to be sure the problem is corrected and will remain that way. So now, the Town will do the following:
- Document and report to the DEP the action we took once we were informed of the matter – The Town hired a contractor to clean the water line from the Reservoir to the Filtering Plant and replaced the pump where the build-up appeared; and
- Revise our Water Department’s Operation and Maintenance Plan to include more frequent cleaning of the water line from the Reservoir to the Filtering Plant and the pump to reduce any manganese build-up.
- Test more often for Manganese to ensure the level stays consistent.
- Continue to share the testing results with all Water Users, which we will do via posting on the Water and Sewer Department page on the Town’s website.

Over the next several months, the Town and the DEP will continue working together, monitoring the levels, performing more frequent maintenance protocols of the line and pump, and ensuring that Hinsdale’s Water Supply is in full compliance with Mass DEP and Federal EPA standards.

I will email again after receiving the next set of test results.