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Please read this informative pamphlet created by the US Environmental Protection Agency
UMass does not analyze samples for private citizens. You will have to hire a commercial lab for your analyses. See the list of DEP-approved labs(link is external) or look in your phone book's yellow pages under Laboratories-Testing or Water Analysis. The Environmental Analytical Lab at UMass-Amherst does not do analyses for private customers, but does take samples from citizen groups monitoring their local water bodies.
It depends on what your situation is.
- If you suspect fecal contamination from failing septic systems or animal contamination, ask for fecal coliform or E. coli bacteria testing.
- If you suspect contamination from agricultural sources, ask for nitrate testing. Too much nitrate in drinking water is very harmful to babies.
- If you suspect petroleum-type contamination (oil, gas) or chemical pollution (trichlorethylene, etc.), ask for Volatile Organic Carbon analyses.
- If you are concerned about salt (important for people with high-blood pressure), ask for sodium and chloride testing.
- If you are concerned about metals, ask for lead and copper testing.
Many towns have recommendations/requirements for drinking water. Ask your Board of Health or check the following web sources: Information on drinking water contaminants can be found on the EPA Drinking Water Contaminants(link is external) web site, which lists contaminants and the maximum contaminant levels allowed. Another good source of information is the EPA site for private well owners(link is external). Finally, check EPA's Signs of Common Water Quality Problems(link is external).
The EPA Drinking Water Contaminants site(link is external) lists maximum concentrations allowed for many contaminants, so you can compare your results to the listed numbers on that site. Also see the Safe Water Drinking Hotline(link is external) (800-426-4791), How safe is my drinking water?(link is external), or the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's web site on drinking water FAQ(link is external). You can also learn more at the EPA Drinking Water Contaminants web site(link is external).
On the web, check the EPA site on private drinking wells: what you can do(link is external)
Locally, you can contact your town's board of health or your regional Department of Environmental Protection's office: Western(link is external), Central(link is external), Northeast(link is external), Southeast(link is external).
Check the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's Water Quality Assessment Reports(link is external). Scroll down to see individual reports in specific watersheds. Don't know which one is your watershed? Locate yourself on the map(link is external)
If your water body has been assessed and found to be polluted, it will be listed on the Massachusetts Year 2006 List of Integrated Waters.(link is external) Other years are available on Massachusetts TDML reports(link is external).
Contact the Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership (MassWWP) to find out if there is a local non-profit monitoring the water body of concern, or check the on-line directory. Or view MassWWP's self-survey web page to decide whether monitoring is for you.
Surf Your Watershed(link is external) is an EPA web site where you'll find some information about water bodies (click on your watershed)
Go to:
- U.S. Geological Survey's web site(link is external) for your watershed and click on "bedrock geology with well locations".
- Public Water supplies GIS layer(link is external)
- Contact the State Geologist(link sends e-mail) at UMass
This is a really broad question that should be further defined. Consider formulating a question that can be answered by running an experiment or survey. Keep the question focused. "How is water quality in Massachusetts?" is too vague and overwhelming. Rather, concentrate on a specific problem in a specific area, such as "Is there enough oxygen in the lake to support a cold-water fishery?" or "Is Quabbin Reservoir water better than our well water for drinking purposes?" Then do a web search to get started.
EPA has an excellent water site(link is external) for middle and high school students, great information and overviews and a section for younger kids. Another great site with background information and experiment descriptions for high schoolers is http://www.epa.gov/highschool/
The water quality is probably acceptable, unless you are downstream of a gross pollution source such as a livestock farm or a dense urban area. The concern is more whether your animals are negatively impacting the water quality of the creek. Ideally you would prevent or restrict access to the creek, and provide an alternative source of drinking water for the animals. A good source of information or help on this topic is your county Conservation District(link is external) or Natural Resources Conservation Service