Pioneer Valley
Planning Commission

Eric Carle Museum, Amherst, MA

Press Release

CONTACT: Anne Capra, PVPC Principal Planner, (413) 781-6045

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2009

Private Wells in Westfield, Southampton Affected by Winter Road Salting

The Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee, in cooperation with Smith College, has completed a fourth round of private drinking water well sample analysis in Westfield and Southampton. The study sampled 90 private drinking water wells on May 7, 2008 in the area of Routes 10 and 202 in Westfield and Southampton. More than 40 percent of the samples (38 of 90) were found to be impacted by road salt, having sodium concentrations above the 20 mg/L guideline set by the Massachusetts Office of Research and Standards Guideline (ORSG).

In addition, 10 percent of the samples (9 out of 90) had chloride concentrations above the 250 mg/L secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Chloride is a component of salt, also called sodium chloride. This standard was developed to protect the aesthetic quality of drinking water (that is, water tastes salty above the 250 mg/L level of chloride). This standard is not health-based and not legally enforceable. However, high concentrations of sodium are associated with the high chloride concentrations.

Another 15 percent, or 17 of the 90 wells sampled, were found to have naturally high sodium levels due to the background geology of the area. Most of these wells were located in the Scenic Drive and Pheasant Drive neighborhoods of Westfield.

Elevated sodium in drinking water may be considered a health concern for individuals on salt-restricted diets. Persons on low-sodium diets due to high blood pressure or other medical problems are often restricted to water containing less than 20 mg/L of sodium.

Previous testing rounds were performed in December 2004, September 2005, and March 2006.

For more information, contact Anne Capra at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission at (413) 781-6045 or acapra@pvpc.org.