Harwich Water Department Water Quality
Monomoy Lens - Focus on: Harwich Groundwater Protection
What else can be done to safeguard future supplies?
There are several actions that can be taken to strengthen water supply protection
efforts in the town. The Board of Health could adopt a townwide hazardous
material regulation which includes site inspection, registration, and inventory.
In order to reduce the nitrogen load from septic systems, minimum
residential zoning could be increased in zones of contribution
to public supply wells. The town should continue to purchase potentially
developable residential land located within existing wellhead protection
areas and for use as future well sites.
How can I be sure that the water is safe to drink?
Harwich's public water supply is tested at least twice each month for bacteria,
and annually for nitrate-nitrogen and other organic and inorganic compounds
specified by state and federal standards. If any problems are encountered,
law requires public notice to be published in a local paper and the problem
corrected. Certified water operators are always available to provide customers
with copies of recent water quality results or to answer specific questions.
The water supply is of excellent quality requiring treatment only
to control the natural acidity and periodic chlorination when cleaning
the tanks. Average nitrate-nitrogen concentration for the Harwich
public supply wells is presently 0.73 parts per million which is
well below the state and federal limit of 10 ppm.
Private well water quality is the responsibility of individual
property owners and should be tested regularly. Private wells may
experience aesthetic problems such as staining and odor from high
concentrations of iron or manganese. High levels of sodium, from
salt water or road salt, are occasionally detected. Wells testing
high in bacteria or nitrate-nitrogen may indicate too much fertilizer
is being used or a septic system is too close to the well. High
levels of nitrate should be monitored, especially if pregnant women
or infants are using the supply.
Water testing services are available at the Barnstable County
Department of Health and the Environment Water Lab, locate in the
Superior Court Building on Route 6A in Barnstable Village. The
charge for a routine analysis is $25 per sample and $75 for a volatile
organic compound analysis. Sterilized containers must be used and
are available at the lab and the health department.
For additional information on water supplies:
Harwich Water Department: 508-432-0304
Harwich Health Department: 508-430-7509
Cape Cod Commission: 508-362-3828
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension: 508-362-2511
Barnstable County Dept. of Health and the Environment: 508-362-2511
Dept. of Environmental Protection, Southeast Regional Office: 508-946-2760
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