November 18, 2010
By Gerald Rogovin
Testing of private drinking wells begins this month
Private wells are biggest source of pollutants, our water is less safe
Excerpt: Testing of private drinking wells begins this month for pharmaceuticals, hormones and household chemicals leaching from septic tanks across Cape Cod.
The new study renews the effort by Silent Spring Institute (SSI) to track potential exposures to pollutants in private wells, a bigger source of pollutants than public wells.
SSI reported last May that the Cape's drinking water was still safe, but getting less so. Their findings were based on tests of public wells in Chatham, Brewster, Buzzards Bay, Dennis, Falmouth and four water districts in Barnstable.