2002 Annual Water Quality Report
Harwich's Water Source
 The
Town of Harwich is supplied by groundwater from fourteen(14) gravel packed
wells. Our wellfield are located in South, East and North Harwich, which
draw water from the Monomoy Lens Aquifer. The Main Station tubular wellfield
and Stations One (1) through Four (4) are located off of Chatham Road, behind
the Water Departments main office and garages. Station Five (5), Six (6)
and Seven (7) are located off of Depot Road in South Harwich, next to the
bike path. Stations Eight (8) and Nine (9) are off of Bay Road in East Harwich,
Station Ten (10) is in North Harwich off of North Westgate Road on the Brewster
Town line and Station number Eleven (11) is located off of Pleasant Bay
Road in East Harwich.
Well Four (4) which can produce up to 500,000 gallons a day has been restored
to service. This particular well has elevated levels of iron and manganese.
Although iron and manganese is not considered a health risk it can cause
staining of laundry and household fixtures. Therefore, the Department will
blend this well with several other wells which do not have elevated iron
or manganese to neutralize the iron and manganese levels in well #4 .
Source Water Assessment Program
How are these Sources Protected?
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has prepared a
Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) Report for the water supply sources
serving the Harwich water system. The SWAP Report assesses the susceptibility
of public water supplies. There exist a number of land uses and activities
that are potential sources of contamination. The SWAP Report notes the
following key issues for our sources:
- Inappropriate activities in Zone I's
- Residential land uses and activitieswithin Zone II's
- Comprehensive wellhead protection planning for Zone II's
- Storm water pollution within Zone II's
- Transmission line right-of-way within Zone II's
- Transportation corridor within Zone II's
The SWAP Report also commends our water system on protective measures presently in place. These include:
- Owning and controlling all Zone I areas
- Posting "Public Drinking Water Signs" around Zone I areas
- Regularly inspecting Zone I areas
- Having the "Aquifer Protection District" bylaw that meets DEP
requirements for wellhead protection controls
- Having an existing Emergency Response Plan
- Board of Health inspections of commercial and industrial activities
- Providing wellhead protection education
What is My System's Ranking?
A susceptibility ranking of "High" was assigned to our
system using the information collected during the assessment by DEP.
What
Can
Be Done To Improve Protection?
- Continue to improve wellhead protection measures presently in place
- Develop a wellhead protection plan
- Establish a wellhead protection committee
Our public water system plans to address the protection recommendations
by:
- Continue to improve zone I by improving non-water activities
- Work with Brewster, Chatham and Dennis to include their Zone II's
within our community
- Develop a Well Head protection Committee
- Review entire Source Water Assessment Program to insure all recommendations
are implemented.
Residents can help protect our sources by:
- Practicing good septic system maintenance
- Supporting water supply protection initiatives at town meetings
- Taking hazardous household chemicals to hazardous material collection
days
- Contacting the Water Department or Board of Health to volunteer
for monitoring or education ourtreach to schools
- Limiting pesticide and fertilizer use, etc.
- Upgrading fuel oil tanks to include proper containment and safety
practices
- Prevent pet walking near wellhead areas.
Where Can I See the SWAP Report?
The complete SWAP report is available at the Water Department and
online at http://www.state.ma.us/dep/brp/dws/.
For more information, call the
Harwich Water Department at 508-432-0304 or go
to www.harwichwater.com.
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