Cambridge

Cambridge Finds ‘Forever Chemicals' in Its Drinking Water. Here's What Residents Need to Know

The city's switch to MWRA water is estimated to cost about $2 million per month

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The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is temporarily switching the source of its drinking water after finding elevated levels of toxic "forever chemicals" in its water supply, the city said in a statement, noting the PFAS levels in the water are above what state standards allow.

The city across the Charles River from Boston and home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will get water for its nearly 120,000 residents from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's system starting Tuesday until November, when it is expected to install a new filter at its water treatment facility.

"Initial results for August showed PFAS levels trending upwards and September results are generally highest and so out of an abundance of caution, the Cambridge Water Department will be temporarily switching to MWRA water to eliminate  potential health effects from PFAS levels above the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) regulatory standard," water department Director Sam Corda said. "Replacing the filter media will ensure that our PFAS levels will be reliably and consistently below the MassDEP regulatory standard in the short and long term."

PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been linked to cancer and other health problems in humans. They are called "forever chemicals'' because they don't degrade in the environment and remain in the bloodstream. They were used for years in firefighting foams, nonstick frying pans, water-repellent fabrics, stain-resistant rugs and other products.

Cambridge, the state's fourth-largest city, gets its water from the Stony Brook Watershed in the Charles River Basin. MWRA water is from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs.

The city's switch to MWRA water is estimated to cost about $2 million per month.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moved Friday to designate two PFAS chemicals found in Cambridge's water as hazardous substances. Massachusetts in May sued more than a dozen companies involved in the manufacture or marketing of forever chemicals, alleging they knowingly polluted the environment and endangered public health. The chemicals have polluted more than 126 public drinking water systems in 86 Massachusetts communities, the suit said.

City Councilor Quinton Zondervan wants the city to switch to MWRA water permanently because of Cambridge's elevated PFAS levels.

“We just don’t know what is, or is not, a safe level. And that’s a huge problem,” he told The Boston Globe.

The city has found increasing levels of PFAS chemicals in its finished water supply, and the change in source will begin Tuesday.

Cambridge City Manager Owen Riordan said, "The reason that we moved to the MWRA system is that we want to assure people that their water is safe."

Cambridge residents who spoke to NBC10 Boston Monday night said they are satisfied with the city's handling of this.

“You have to have water and if they can get it from the MWRA until the end of the year that’s great and I hope by then we will be back on line," Alita Cane said.

But some think getting things back to the way they were -- pumping water out of Fresh Pond -- might not be the best idea.

“The only thing is a future solution of having the pond accessible to residents. Swimming and boating and stuff would be helpful in getting water from the MWRA,” Chrisy Cicon said.

Zondervan agrees.

“If we decided not to switch back to our own water supply then we can use some of those resources for other purposes," Zonervan said. "Fresh Pond could be a very nice recreational area for Cambridge.”

Staff and wire reports
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