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The contamination notification was announced in the city of Springfield on Wednesday, April 6, by the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission.
The contaminants found during a sampling conducted on Thursday, March 3 indicated an excess of the maximum contaminant level for haloacetic acids also known as HAA5, at eight sample locations, the commission said.
The level of HAA5 found exceeded the Massachusetts DEP standard, the commission said.
This excess level is usually formed through the disinfection process of drinking water.
HAA5 levels have increased, due in part to significant rainfall in summer 2021, and annual reservoir turnover in fall 2021, the commission said.
The commission confirmed the high level of HAA5 is not a public health emergency and that there is no need to boil or filter water, or to drink bottled water.
The department has been actively working to reduce HAA5 in the drinking water since 2015, when it initiated a comprehensive planning process to modernize the West Parish Filters Water Treatment Plant.
The design of the new treatment plant is currently underway, and construction is anticipated to begin in 2024.
For more information, visit the commission's website here.
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