MWRA Drinking Water Report The latest annual MWRA Drinking Water Report” (published June 2024) can be viewed here.  Monthly results can be found here.      

Newton Initiates Strategy to Remediate Lead

The City of Newton Water Service Line Inventory can be found here.

Because of national health concerns about lead in drinking water, the Mayor and City departments took the unprecedented step to identify public drinking water sources and water systems, to test for lead, and to remediate problems identified in the last three months.

The State’s Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) only testing requirements for municipalities testing drinking water is to test in 15 homes and 2 schools for lead and copper every year. There are no regulations or guidances for testing at public parks, public buildings, or in private or non-profit owned buildings. The City of Newton has followed the protocols to date, but in response to concern nationwide about lead in drinking water, the City began an unprecedented program in April to proactively conduct more advanced testing to determine potential sources of lead in the City’s water system. We have put together a document to summarize Newton’s response to concerns raised around the country about lead in drinking water.

Much of the work is just beginning. Until lead in water became a national headline, very few municipalities were focused on it as an issue. As a result, the records that the City has on lead in the water source are not comprehensive. Moving forward, we are committed to making all testing results public and accessible and will document every location where testing has occurred and where remediation was required. To see the most recent testing results, click here.

MWRA Water and Newton’s Water System

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) provides all of Newton’s water from the Quabbin Reservoir and does extensive testing of the water coming into Newton every year, the results of which are mailed to each household once a year.

The City’s water main pipes are not made of lead.  Water comes from the mains to residences, other buildings, and outdoor fixtures such as bubblers in parks through service lines.  These lines run from the mains directly to the building and are not shared by any other structure.

Water Safety and Health

While all of these programs are underway, we remind residents that when lead poisoning occurs, the most likely source is lead paint or lead dust from paint.  Other sources include soil, some foods, some porcelain or pottery and some toys.  Lead in water can add to overall exposure but is not considered to be a major source of lead poisoning.

Children in MA receive blood tests for lead at the ages of 9-12 months, 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years (if the family is in a high-risk neighborhood).  Newton does not have any neighborhoods deemed by the state to be at high-risk.  All children are required to have at least one lead test before entering kindergarten.

Young children and pregnant women are most at risk from lead exposure.  Infants consuming formula prepared with tap water are at greatest risk.  Running the tap until the water is cold, especially after the pipes have not been in use for six hours or more and using the cold water tap for drinking or cooking are good measures to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in water.  If residents decide to have their home tap water tested for lead at their own expense, this testing should be performed in a certified laboratory.  A list of these labs can be found on the MWRA website, www.mwra.com.   

Additional Efforts

The DEP regulations on water testing are minimal. As a City, we are committed to going above and beyond these regulations to ensure that the drinking water in Newton is safe.

If you have any questions, please email us at: drinkingwater@newtonma.gov.