To: Wellesley College Community
From: Piper Orton, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer; and Tyler Marcet, Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Re: Drinking Water Notice
Date: October 11, 2024
We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply.
This afternoon, the College was notified that a raw (untreated) water sample collected from one of our wells, Well #1, tested positive for E.coli, which is a fecal indicator. Fecal indicators are used to detect ground water sources that may be susceptible to fecal contamination that may contain harmful viruses or bacteria. When we learned of the positive sample, THE WELL WAS TAKEN OFFLINE.
The water delivered to the taps on the Wellesley College campus through the distribution system has been processed through the water treatment plant and is disinfected with chlorine to kill viruses and bacteria, including E.coli. It is important to note that NONE of the treated samples collected in the distribution system (after treatment) detected any fecal contaminants.
Well #1 is one of the two wells that supply water to our drinking water system. In accordance with the federal Ground Water Rule (GWR) requirements, we are notifying you of the situation and conducting additional sampling to evaluate the extent of potential fecal contamination and will take further actions as necessary.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
This is NOT an emergency, you do NOT need to boil your water or take other corrective actions at this time.
The USEPA requires us to provide you with this notice and the following information on fecal indicators, even though the well with the fecal indicator is not presently in use: “Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.” These symptoms can also be caused by issues unrelated to drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, or, if you have specific health concerns, you may want to discuss such concerns with your doctor. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or online.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly.
WHAT IS BEING DONE?
We continue to maintain chlorine levels throughout our system and monitor for the presence of fecal contaminants in the sources and distribution system to ensure the safety of the water supply. Our system is undergoing repeat testing and evaluation to determine if the current level of treatment is adequate or if additional corrective actions are necessary to reduce the risk of potential fecal contamination in our drinking water supply.
We are in contact with MassDEP during this process who will evaluate the effectiveness of the steps taken and determine if any further action is required. If necessary, you will be notified again if you need to take any corrective actions.
For more information and further updates, please contact Tyler Marcet, Director of EH&S, at tm105@wellesley.edu.
This is an important notice—please have it translated for anyone who does not understand English.
