WILLIAMSTOWN – Don’t drink the water at Mount Greylock Regional High School, where drinking fountains were closed Friday after tests showed the presence of a potentially harmful chemical, perchlorate, in the school’s wells.
The chemical is widely used as a propellant in, among other things, fireworks, which have been set off on the school grounds at graduations and Fourth of July celebrations.
The administration has halted the use of any school water for drinking and has shut down the south well completely, according a news release. The south well showed a level of 5.05 parts of perchlorate per billion parts of water — five times the maximum allowed under state standards. The north well showed 1.03 parts per billion but is now used only for washing and flushing toilets.
Further tests showed even higher levels, a state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman said yesterday — 9.6 parts per billion in the south well and 2.4 parts per billion in the north. The south well remains offline, and the school is providing bottled water.
The school took samples for the first time this April in accordance with new DEP regulations; no sampling for perchlorate had been previously required.
DEP guidlines note that sensitive populations – pregnant women, infants, children up to age 12, and people with hypothyroidism – should not drink water exceeding 1 part per billion, but that higher levels are safe for others.
Bottled water is available for drinking at the school, At this point, the investigation has focused on confirming the safety of the school’s water quality. Later, the source of contamination will be investigated. Perchlorate has been linked to rocket fuel, munitions and fireworks.
Eva Tor of the DEP said, “Just now we’re getting many of the results, but no other schools in Berkshire County show high levels of perchlorate. If the results are confirmed, we’ll try to find out where this might have come from. The first step is to make sure the numbers are real.â€
Ammonium perchlorate is highly mobile in water and can persist for many decades, according to the DEP. Perchlorate disrupts normal functioning of the thyroid gland, and, as in iodine deficiency, can stunt growth and affect behavior, movement, speech, hearing, vision and intelligence, the department said.
Impaired brain development and lower IQ were observed in children born to even mildly or moderately iodine-deficient mothers.
In the absence of a federal drinking water standard, the DEP has developed a draft toxicity value and is working toward the development of standards.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
North Berkshire Educational Study Updating Communities
By Breanna Steele & Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The steering committee for a regional study on secondary education is getting the word out to participating communities and asking for input.
The goal of the study is to focus on Grades 6 through 12 to understand current conditions across districts, hear people on their educational priorities, analyze strengths, opportunities, and challenges, and identify opportunities for future collaboration.
Steering Committee Chair Erin Milne, also a member of the Hoosac Valley Regional School Committee, introduced the study and why it was needed.
"We've been talking for decades about how the Northern Berkshire school communities can better collaborate with one another, rather than necessarily duplicating services," she told he Cheshire board. "And over time, it's become more and more of a pressing issue as our enrollment has been going down, but costs have been going up."
Hoosac Valley, North Adams, Mount Greylock Regional, Clarksburg, Savoy and Florida are participating in the study. A combination of declining population and rising costs are putting pressure on the districts, but the study will also look at educational opportunities that could come from collaboration.
In North Adams, Superintendent of Schools Timothy Callahan noted that "the reality is that in the North Adams Public Schools, our graduating class is now closer to what Lenox used to have as a graduating class 20 years ago ... So those are the realities, and what can we sustain, and what are the educational opportunities for our young people? Those are the questions that we're asking."
Hoosac Valley High School has postponed this weekend’s football games following a reported alleged hazing incident involving a large number of football players, the athletic director announced Friday afternoon. click for more
The increase is because of a 9.12 percent hike in the levy based on the budget and fiscal articles approved for FY27 at May's annual town meeting. click for more
The mission of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires is to facilitate growth for charitable organizations through shared resources, affordable services, and creative collaborations. click for more
Talk about strangers in the night. There's lots of social intercourse between Frankie and Johnny. There's also lots of sexual intercourse. click for more
