DRINKING WATER WARNING

Important information about your drinking water Please read or have someone translate it for you

TESTS SHOW PERCHLORATE IN WATER Town of Ipswich, MA

WATER SHOULD NOT BE CONSUMED BY PREGNANT WOMEN, NURSING MOTHERS, INFANTS, CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 12, AND PEOPLE WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM
A routine sample collected from the Ipswich Water Divisions surface water treatment plant on August 25, 2011 showed a perchlorate concentration of 2.2 parts per billion (ppb). The Massachusetts Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for perchlorate is 2.0 ppb. Ipswich was notified by the laboratory today that a confirmation sample contained 2.3 ppb of perchlorate. Ipswich turned off the surface water treatment plant yesterday and is presently using only well water. Water from the Towns wells was also tested on August 25, 2011 and did not contain harmful levels of perchlorate. Testing is being done at several locations in the Ipswich municipal water main system, and the public will be notified when the water is considered safe for all consumers. A round of samples is being taken throughout the Town today with results expected during the afternoon tomorrow. Based on the results from those samples, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will evaluate whether or not the Do Not Drink Order for sensitive subpopulations needs to remain in effect. Possible Health Effects Perchlorate interferes with the normal function of the thyroid gland and thus has the potential to affect growth and development and could cause brain damage and other adverse effects, particularly in fetuses and infants. What should I do? 1. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, children up to the age of 12, and individuals with hypothyroidism should not consume drinking water containing concentrations of perchlorate that exceed the Maximum Contaminant Level of 2.0 ppb. The samples discussed in this public notice exceed that level, so persons in the listed groups should not consume the water. The Town of Ipswich will notify the public when the levels have been reduced to below 2.0 ppb. 2. Ice cubes, juices, baby formula, and other beverages prepared using the tap water should be discarded. 3. The general population is advised not to drink the water if levels exceed 18 ppb. The samples discussed in this public notice do not exceed that level, and therefore the remaining portion of the general public (see #1 above) can drink the water. 4. The water can be used for showering and bathing, although incidental ingestion of bath water by young children should be minimized. 5. Water should not be used for cooking foods (for the sensitive subpopulations described above) that absorb a lot of water (e.g., pasta, rice). 6. If you are concerned about effects of previous exposure to perchlorate on your thyroid functions, you should contact your primary health care provider. What happened? What is being done? Perchlorate is an inorganic chemical widely used as an oxidizer in fireworks, blasting agents and in other industrial products. It also occurs in some hypochlorite solutions used to disinfect drinking water. The results of previous samples collected from the surface water treatment plant showed no detection of perchlorate. The treatment plant will remain offline until further notice. We are investigating the source of the contamination and evaluating next steps in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. For more information and updates on the situation, please contact , Ipswich Utilities, at (978) 356-6635.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by: PWS ID#: Date distributed:

Ipswich Water Division

3144000

September 23, 2011