Informational Coliform and Chlorination Announcement
The results of the Monson Water Department's routine monthly samples collected on Tuesday (August 10, 2010) showed that three of the eleven samples collected tested positive for very low levels of total coliform bacteria. All samples were negative for e-coli. All of the well samples were free of total coliforms.
This is not an emergency. If it had been you would have been notified immediately. The water is completely safe to drink. Coliform bacteria are not harmful themselves; coliforms are bacteria which are natually present in the environment and are used as an indicator that there could be a problem with the system's teatment or distribution system (pipes).
We are working in close cooperation with officials from MassDEP. Together, we have decided the quickest and most efficient way to eliminate this problem is to temporarily chlorinate our water system. We have begun adding low levels of chlorine at our pump stations to disinfect our storage and distribution systems to accomplish this task and prevent the possibility of more serious problems later on. This is a temporary measure only and we believe we will be back to normal operations in one to two weeks. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
If you have any questions, please contact our office at 413-267-4130.
The Monson Water & Sewer Department
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