September 7, 2024 • 24 mins
Amy Shei, President and CEO of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts and Jenna Day, Director of Development at RCAP Solutions speak knowledgeably and caringly about the health impact to nearly half a million Massachusetts residents that rely on unregulated drinking water from private wells.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is What's at Risk with Mike Christian on WBZ
Boston's news radio. Hi, Mike Christian, here of What's at Risk.
First up on tonight's show, we speak with Amy Say,
President and CEO of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts,
and Jenna Day, director of Development at our Cap Solutions.
(00:26):
They speak passionately about the health impact to nearly a
half million Massachusetts residents that rely on unregulated drinking water
from private wealth. And in our second segment, we're happy
to welcome Todd Zeon, Founder and CEO of Axton Biosciences.
(00:46):
Tod provides keen insights on the explosion of pets and
companion animals in the United States and the corresponding focus
on keeping them healthy through new medicines. Doctor Amy Sheha
is President and CEO of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts,
(01:08):
a health conversion foundation based in the heart of the Commonwealth.
Foundation's mission is to improve the health of those who
live or work in Central Massachusetts with a focus on
vulnerable populations and unmet needs. She received her doctoral degree
in health policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts
(01:29):
and Sciences. Jenna Day is the director of Development at
r CAAP Solutions. With over two decades of working in
community and economic development. She brings with her a diverse
set that includes building individual and community capacity and supporting
the progress and sustainability of rural communities. She has a
(01:51):
degree in environmental education from Goddard College. We're here with
Amy Shea, President and CEO of the Health Foundation of
(02:12):
Central Massachusetts and Jenna Day, director of Development at RCAP Solutions.
How are you both doing?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Doing great?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Thank you, Mike good well, thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
For joining us. Maybe a good place to start would
be for both of you to just tell our listeners
a little bit about your backgrounds. Maybe Amy, if you
want to start.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Sure, happy to Amy Sheha, President and CEO of the
Health Foundation. As Mike mentioned, I've been in this role
in this work for the past several years, leading a
health foundation based in Worcester serving all of Central Massachusetts
that has a mission to improve the health of those
who live or work in the region. My background is
(02:55):
in public health and health policy and evaluation, so I'm
really excited to bring those skills and experiences to this work.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Jenna, thanks Mike, thanks for having me so. I have
been with our CAP Solutions for five years now, I
was the director of our Community and Environmental Resources division.
We are part of a larger national network in the
water wastewater space and that our CAP network has six
(03:25):
other providers, all doing drinking water, wastewater, community and economic
development work for rural communities. Been excited to work with
our partners across the state and for our CAP Solutions.
That footprint is Pennsylvania up to me in Puerto Rico
and the US Virgin Islands where we do that drinking
(03:46):
water and wastewater work. Rural communities are where we focus
the work. And you know private wells for this conversation,
you know a lot of them are in our rural
communities in massachuse.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Right, So you just mentioned it. Our topic today is
really a safe water from wells primarily. And how do
your two organizations work together? How do you interact because
you're two separate organizations.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Obviously, I'm happy to start. The Health Foundation is a
grant making organization, so we provide grants to nonprofits throughout
the region. We define health very broadly and really look
to our partners in the community, like our CAP Solutions,
to bring forward urgent needs that they're seeing on the
(04:38):
ground and to propose strategies for how to address those
needs and improve health. Our CAP Solutions came to us
several years ago identifying an urgent need to address the
lack of regulations for private wells and the fact that
many Massachusetts residents are drinking unregulated drinking water that may
(05:04):
pose health risks. So that's how we first began working together,
and I'll turn it over to Jenna to add what
it has been like from the grantee perspective.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah, it's been exciting five years now working on this
with the Health Foundation. Our E Solutions has been doing
housing advocacy and environmental and educational advocacy at the national level,
housing at the state level. But this was a really
great opportunity to work with the Health Foundation and develop
(05:40):
a coalition for safe drinking water to address what we
were seeing in Massachusetts that there's a definite need for
statewide regulations to protect that the private well owners, whereas
it's different than what the public water system households are experiencing,
(06:01):
and we had EPA funding to do a small amount
of testing of private wealth. We were really excited to
be able to expand that in Massachusetts. We may have
been able to do ten fifteen private well tests a year,
and with the help Foundation, we were able to do
(06:23):
five hundred over two years. So that was a dramatic increase.
Gave us a lot of information on the water quality,
which we're really excited to share with everyone.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
So over five hundred thousand people, which is a big
number to me, throughout the Commonwealth rely on well water
for consumption and other usage. Yet, as you guys mentioned,
there's no statewide regulations to ensure private well water is
safe from harmful contaminants, and those contaminants can be arsenic, radon,
(06:55):
uranium and other types of things. First of all, where
are those we are they mostly in central Massachusetts or
are they around the state.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
They're everywhere in the state, Mike, They're on the Cape,
they're out in western mass They're in central mass they're
even east of that four ninety five quarter. You know,
they're private wells in almost every community in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Also read the thirty two percent of the wells that
had been tested had contaminants exceeding safe levels. Does that
sound like the right number two you.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Guys, Yeah, yeah, it was surprising to us that it
was that high. I think that compare that to public
water system that has frequent testing for contaminants, and we
really that information really enabled us to ask for the
(07:53):
state to look at the data and consider the private
well regulation.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
And obviously all the wells weren't tested them and that's
your whole point of this initiative on some levels. So
what was that thirty two percent? What kind of a
sampling was that?
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That was out of the five hundred that we tested
with the Health Mountain. Okay, we started in north central
mass and then expanded across the state, so it was
to all different communities.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Does the public, the people that have these wells, did
this concern emanate from them or how did this all
become a known issue. It makes complete sense to test
the water, obviously, but it seems like it's more recent
that this has come about. How did it all come about?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I think that there's an increase in coverage of water issues,
water quality issues. I think pfaest is on the forefront
of people's minds. Part of we did testing and information
gathering with the homeowners, and you know, we really found
(09:00):
out that most people do not test their water on
private wealth, the majority, and so you know, they have
the idea and belief that it tastes great, I'm not
getting sick, then my water is safe to drink. And
so when we know we tested and found out that
(09:20):
that is not the case for a third of the
private well owners, and I think people were really engaged
at that point to consider, like, what is the what
do we do now?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I think the lack of standardized regulations and requirements contributes
to the low level of awareness. Depending on which town
you live in, or which real estate agent you're using,
or which mortgage company you're using, you get very different
(10:00):
types of information regarding private wells, the importance of testing,
whether it's required or not. There's variation depending on which
municipality you live in. In contrast, for homes that rely
on septic systems when they're sold, when there's a transfer
(10:21):
of property, Title five requires that the septic system be
tested and pass inspections. So there is that kind of
baseline knowledge that it's important to ensure that your septic
system is functioning and that it does not harm the
environment or public health or your own family's health.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Now, you mentioned PFES chemicals, which are known as forever chemicals,
What exactly are those just for our listener's perspective.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Those pfest chains, you know, are not breaking down. That's
where the forever language is coming from. They're Indian environment.
They're in our water and soil, and that keeps cycling
through like as it is in the solid waste. It's
just going to keep adding to the water supply. It's
in rural areas. It's not just near contamination sites anymore.
(11:16):
We have more testing that shows that it's all across
our country.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Currently, many Massachusetts residents who rely on private wells are
consuming water that may be unsafe. Over five hundred thousand
people throughout the commonwealth rely on these wells, yet there
are no statewide regulations to ensure private well water is
safe from harmful contaminants such as arsenic, raydon, uranium, and more.
(11:50):
In contrast, public water systems are subject to state and
federal regulations and are routinely monitored. Currently, instituse its Residents
who rely on private wells are consuming water that may
be unsafe. Over five hundred thousand people throughout the commonwealth
(12:10):
rely on these wells, yet there are no statewide regulations
to ensure private well water is safe from harmful contaminants
such as arsenic, radon, uranium and more. In contrast, public
water systems are subject to state and federal regulations and
are routinely monitored. Where do the chemicals come from a
(12:35):
different fertilizers and old manufacturing facilities and that type of thing.
How do they get in the.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Ground These days, they're pervasive, and that's part of the
challenge in trying to limit exposure to pfasts. They're in
everyday consumer products, they are used in manufacturing, they're used
in firefighting, phone home and firefighter equipment. There was just
(13:02):
a very important piece of legislation passed in Massachusetts to
better protect firefighters from pfas. Given that it is a
carcin engen. It's in some cooking pans, in cortex, and
some fabric coating. So it is part of so many
(13:25):
everyday products that there are efforts to kind of move
upstream and stop the tap or stop the flow of
p fast into our environment.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Well, let's get to the good news. Then. In the
twenty twenty five state budget, which was just signed by
Governor Healy on July twenty ninth, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection,
we'll finally have dedicated funding to explore how best to
ensure safe drinking water from private wells. The agency will
(13:57):
receive one hundred thousand dollars, conduct study and make recommendations
for statewide program to ensure that drinking water for private
wells is safe to consume. Maybe tell us about how
that all came about. I know it's through your major
joint efforts together, so you can brag a little bit,
but also what that process was, and then what's going
(14:19):
to happen with one hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Thank you. We're very excited about this important step forward.
It has been a multi year effort and one that
will continue even after this important step forward. We felt
it was important from the beginning to have data to
inform our efforts and to show legislators the importance and
(14:44):
urgency of this issue. So we started with private well
testing that Jena described in north central and then expanding
to different parts of the state to really demonstrate that
it is in fact a statewide issue, not just limited
to Central Massachuset. We also built a coalition of public health,
(15:06):
environmental consumer advocacy organizations, and also homeowners, board of health officials,
local health agents that were supportive of this effort and
recognized the importance of ensuring safe drinking water. We also
conducted a statewide poll to get a sense of public
(15:28):
perception of the issue and public support for the role
that the state can play in improving drinking water quality,
and we found very strong supports. Seventy five percent responded
that the proposed legislation to allow the Department of Environmental
(15:49):
Protection to develop statewide private well protections. That showed very
strong support. There was clear recognition that the state it
should play a role in addressing drinking water issues and
ensuring that all residents have access to safe drinking water.
That was nearly unanimous. Ninety seven percent agreed that everyone
(16:12):
should have access to safe drinking water, and ninety two
percent felt that state government should play a role. So
again that strengthened our efforts. We use those polling data
points in our conversations with legislators to demonstrate strong support
for these protections.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
So math DP already has private well regulations that they
have out there for local boards of health to adopt,
and they have resources for private well owners on how
to test, what to test for the frequency of testing,
and they know we're really just hoping that what comes
out of this is Besides the state standard is that
(16:52):
there is more education on this issue available to private
well owners across the state that they're in aging in
their own public health protection by looking at what is
recommended and taking action.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
What will come out of the study, what will be
the deliverable with the study will be analytics obviously, but
what else might be included that We expect.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
That there will be recommendations from the department itself about
how to establish and support a statewide program. The department
already regulates public drinking water and provides support, technical assistance,
and other support to public water supply, so it will
(17:39):
need to develop a similar infrastructure to support private wells
and work with local boards of health and homeowners to
ensure safe drinking water. So that infrastructure will require funding
and staffing. And so this is really a first step
to better understand what will be needed to stand up
(18:00):
a statewide program, how should it look, who should be involved.
There will be hopefully eventually a process to get public
input as well to ensure that various perspectives are considered.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I would end from a fund obviously. The funding thing
part of it will be the challenge, right because they'll
come up with a program that's meaningful, and then where
do they find the money to do it? How do
you see that happening?
Speaker 3 (18:30):
The good news is that there are several examples to
build from. There are other states that already have statewide
private well regulations and programs, so Massachusetts would not be
starting from scratch. The drinking water program for public water
(18:50):
systems is another great starting point, and also I referenced
earlier septic systems. The way in which department support local
boards of health and homeowners and others in ensuring that
septic systems are in compliance is another good starting point.
(19:14):
These programs, once they're up and running, are relatively easy
to maintain and update. It's just the initial upfront time
and effort to figure out how to establish a program
so that it is sustainable and effective in the long term.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
And would the funding contemplate the cleanup of wells? You know,
obviously there's going to be some provision for testing now.
And when they test somebody as well and Central Massachusetts
and find that it's contaminated, what's the next step. What
happens if they don't have the funding to clean it up?
Speaker 2 (19:52):
For folks who are in rural areas, who are USDA
World Development Eligible. There is funding. You can find that
on our website What's in your well Watered dot org.
You can find those resources. So if anyone has something
that they want to look at now about protecting their
and remediating issues in their private well, that is available.
(20:17):
We're hoping that the Mass Housing Fund for the septic
repair loans can be made eligible and available to private
well owners as well.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
So the funding actually is already there, it's just a
matter of identifying where it's needed.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
There are existing funding sources, we recognize that additional funding
sources may need to be identified. We also recognize the
importance of education because public drinking water has a cost
associated with it. People pay fees for public water. Many
(20:55):
people have relied on private wells for many years and
have not viewed it as something they needed to pay
for or necessarily pay for maintaining or testing. And so
there is that education component that while you're not paying
for public water, you should invest in your own private
well to make sure that it's safe to consume, and
(21:18):
hopefully over time it just becomes part of home maintenance budget,
as one would budget for replacing a roof every so often,
you would want to budget for testing your water every
so often and maintaining it and installing a treatment system
when it's necessary. So we recognize that there are certain
(21:41):
homeowners that will still need financial assistance, but for many others,
it really is just that education piece that.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Makes complete sense. How long do you think this whole
process will take for the conclusions from the study or
are made public and then the next steps.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
The report from the Department of Environmental Protection is do
January of next year, which is excellent timing for the
next legislative session as we try to move forward with
our next step in this process, which is to enable
(22:21):
or authorize the Department to actually regulate private wells.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
And we are.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Optimistic about the next legislative session, so hopefully in the
next year or two we'll have another great update to
share with you, Mike and your listeners. But that's the
timeline that we're looking.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
At right now. Well, we've been talking to Amy Shay
and to Jenna Day. They've both been working in their organizations,
have been working incredibly hard to get this next step
funded and they've been successful at doing that. So thank
you both for joining us today. Thank you for having Yes,
(23:04):
We'll be right back after the news at the bottom
of the hour
Speaker 2 (24:08):
On a
This is What's at Risk with Mike Christian on WBZ
Boston's news radio. Hi, Mike Christian, here of What's at Risk.
First up on tonight's show, we speak with Amy Say,
President and CEO of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts,
and Jenna Day, director of Development at our Cap Solutions.
(00:26):
They speak passionately about the health impact to nearly a
half million Massachusetts residents that rely on unregulated drinking water
from private wealth. And in our second segment, we're happy
to welcome Todd Zeon, Founder and CEO of Axton Biosciences.
(00:46):
Tod provides keen insights on the explosion of pets and
companion animals in the United States and the corresponding focus
on keeping them healthy through new medicines. Doctor Amy Sheha
is President and CEO of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts,
(01:08):
a health conversion foundation based in the heart of the Commonwealth.
Foundation's mission is to improve the health of those who
live or work in Central Massachusetts with a focus on
vulnerable populations and unmet needs. She received her doctoral degree
in health policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts
(01:29):
and Sciences. Jenna Day is the director of Development at
r CAAP Solutions. With over two decades of working in
community and economic development. She brings with her a diverse
set that includes building individual and community capacity and supporting
the progress and sustainability of rural communities. She has a
(01:51):
degree in environmental education from Goddard College. We're here with
Amy Shea, President and CEO of the Health Foundation of
(02:12):
Central Massachusetts and Jenna Day, director of Development at RCAP Solutions.
How are you both doing?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Doing great?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Thank you, Mike good well, thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
For joining us. Maybe a good place to start would
be for both of you to just tell our listeners
a little bit about your backgrounds. Maybe Amy, if you
want to start.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Sure, happy to Amy Sheha, President and CEO of the
Health Foundation. As Mike mentioned, I've been in this role
in this work for the past several years, leading a
health foundation based in Worcester serving all of Central Massachusetts
that has a mission to improve the health of those
who live or work in the region. My background is
(02:55):
in public health and health policy and evaluation, so I'm
really excited to bring those skills and experiences to this work.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Jenna, thanks Mike, thanks for having me so. I have
been with our CAP Solutions for five years now, I
was the director of our Community and Environmental Resources division.
We are part of a larger national network in the
water wastewater space and that our CAP network has six
(03:25):
other providers, all doing drinking water, wastewater, community and economic
development work for rural communities. Been excited to work with
our partners across the state and for our CAP Solutions.
That footprint is Pennsylvania up to me in Puerto Rico
and the US Virgin Islands where we do that drinking
(03:46):
water and wastewater work. Rural communities are where we focus
the work. And you know private wells for this conversation,
you know a lot of them are in our rural
communities in massachuse.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Right, So you just mentioned it. Our topic today is
really a safe water from wells primarily. And how do
your two organizations work together? How do you interact because
you're two separate organizations.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Obviously, I'm happy to start. The Health Foundation is a
grant making organization, so we provide grants to nonprofits throughout
the region. We define health very broadly and really look
to our partners in the community, like our CAP Solutions,
to bring forward urgent needs that they're seeing on the
(04:38):
ground and to propose strategies for how to address those
needs and improve health. Our CAP Solutions came to us
several years ago identifying an urgent need to address the
lack of regulations for private wells and the fact that
many Massachusetts residents are drinking unregulated drinking water that may
(05:04):
pose health risks. So that's how we first began working together,
and I'll turn it over to Jenna to add what
it has been like from the grantee perspective.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah, it's been exciting five years now working on this
with the Health Foundation. Our E Solutions has been doing
housing advocacy and environmental and educational advocacy at the national level,
housing at the state level. But this was a really
great opportunity to work with the Health Foundation and develop
(05:40):
a coalition for safe drinking water to address what we
were seeing in Massachusetts that there's a definite need for
statewide regulations to protect that the private well owners, whereas
it's different than what the public water system households are experiencing,
(06:01):
and we had EPA funding to do a small amount
of testing of private wealth. We were really excited to
be able to expand that in Massachusetts. We may have
been able to do ten fifteen private well tests a year,
and with the help Foundation, we were able to do
(06:23):
five hundred over two years. So that was a dramatic increase.
Gave us a lot of information on the water quality,
which we're really excited to share with everyone.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
So over five hundred thousand people, which is a big
number to me, throughout the Commonwealth rely on well water
for consumption and other usage. Yet, as you guys mentioned,
there's no statewide regulations to ensure private well water is
safe from harmful contaminants, and those contaminants can be arsenic, radon,
(06:55):
uranium and other types of things. First of all, where
are those we are they mostly in central Massachusetts or
are they around the state.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
They're everywhere in the state, Mike, They're on the Cape,
they're out in western mass They're in central mass they're
even east of that four ninety five quarter. You know,
they're private wells in almost every community in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Also read the thirty two percent of the wells that
had been tested had contaminants exceeding safe levels. Does that
sound like the right number two you.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Guys, Yeah, yeah, it was surprising to us that it
was that high. I think that compare that to public
water system that has frequent testing for contaminants, and we
really that information really enabled us to ask for the
(07:53):
state to look at the data and consider the private
well regulation.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
And obviously all the wells weren't tested them and that's
your whole point of this initiative on some levels. So
what was that thirty two percent? What kind of a
sampling was that?
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That was out of the five hundred that we tested
with the Health Mountain. Okay, we started in north central
mass and then expanded across the state, so it was
to all different communities.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Does the public, the people that have these wells, did
this concern emanate from them or how did this all
become a known issue. It makes complete sense to test
the water, obviously, but it seems like it's more recent
that this has come about. How did it all come about?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I think that there's an increase in coverage of water issues,
water quality issues. I think pfaest is on the forefront
of people's minds. Part of we did testing and information
gathering with the homeowners, and you know, we really found
(09:00):
out that most people do not test their water on
private wealth, the majority, and so you know, they have
the idea and belief that it tastes great, I'm not
getting sick, then my water is safe to drink. And
so when we know we tested and found out that
(09:20):
that is not the case for a third of the
private well owners, and I think people were really engaged
at that point to consider, like, what is the what
do we do now?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I think the lack of standardized regulations and requirements contributes
to the low level of awareness. Depending on which town
you live in, or which real estate agent you're using,
or which mortgage company you're using, you get very different
(10:00):
types of information regarding private wells, the importance of testing,
whether it's required or not. There's variation depending on which
municipality you live in. In contrast, for homes that rely
on septic systems when they're sold, when there's a transfer
(10:21):
of property, Title five requires that the septic system be
tested and pass inspections. So there is that kind of
baseline knowledge that it's important to ensure that your septic
system is functioning and that it does not harm the
environment or public health or your own family's health.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Now, you mentioned PFES chemicals, which are known as forever chemicals,
What exactly are those just for our listener's perspective.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Those pfest chains, you know, are not breaking down. That's
where the forever language is coming from. They're Indian environment.
They're in our water and soil, and that keeps cycling
through like as it is in the solid waste. It's
just going to keep adding to the water supply. It's
in rural areas. It's not just near contamination sites anymore.
(11:16):
We have more testing that shows that it's all across
our country.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Currently, many Massachusetts residents who rely on private wells are
consuming water that may be unsafe. Over five hundred thousand
people throughout the commonwealth rely on these wells, yet there
are no statewide regulations to ensure private well water is
safe from harmful contaminants such as arsenic, raydon, uranium, and more.
(11:50):
In contrast, public water systems are subject to state and
federal regulations and are routinely monitored. Currently, instituse its Residents
who rely on private wells are consuming water that may
be unsafe. Over five hundred thousand people throughout the commonwealth
(12:10):
rely on these wells, yet there are no statewide regulations
to ensure private well water is safe from harmful contaminants
such as arsenic, radon, uranium and more. In contrast, public
water systems are subject to state and federal regulations and
are routinely monitored. Where do the chemicals come from a
(12:35):
different fertilizers and old manufacturing facilities and that type of thing.
How do they get in the.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Ground These days, they're pervasive, and that's part of the
challenge in trying to limit exposure to pfasts. They're in
everyday consumer products, they are used in manufacturing, they're used
in firefighting, phone home and firefighter equipment. There was just
(13:02):
a very important piece of legislation passed in Massachusetts to
better protect firefighters from pfas. Given that it is a
carcin engen. It's in some cooking pans, in cortex, and
some fabric coating. So it is part of so many
(13:25):
everyday products that there are efforts to kind of move
upstream and stop the tap or stop the flow of
p fast into our environment.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Well, let's get to the good news. Then. In the
twenty twenty five state budget, which was just signed by
Governor Healy on July twenty ninth, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection,
we'll finally have dedicated funding to explore how best to
ensure safe drinking water from private wells. The agency will
(13:57):
receive one hundred thousand dollars, conduct study and make recommendations
for statewide program to ensure that drinking water for private
wells is safe to consume. Maybe tell us about how
that all came about. I know it's through your major
joint efforts together, so you can brag a little bit,
but also what that process was, and then what's going
(14:19):
to happen with one hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Thank you. We're very excited about this important step forward.
It has been a multi year effort and one that
will continue even after this important step forward. We felt
it was important from the beginning to have data to
inform our efforts and to show legislators the importance and
(14:44):
urgency of this issue. So we started with private well
testing that Jena described in north central and then expanding
to different parts of the state to really demonstrate that
it is in fact a statewide issue, not just limited
to Central Massachuset. We also built a coalition of public health,
(15:06):
environmental consumer advocacy organizations, and also homeowners, board of health officials,
local health agents that were supportive of this effort and
recognized the importance of ensuring safe drinking water. We also
conducted a statewide poll to get a sense of public
(15:28):
perception of the issue and public support for the role
that the state can play in improving drinking water quality,
and we found very strong supports. Seventy five percent responded
that the proposed legislation to allow the Department of Environmental
(15:49):
Protection to develop statewide private well protections. That showed very
strong support. There was clear recognition that the state it
should play a role in addressing drinking water issues and
ensuring that all residents have access to safe drinking water.
That was nearly unanimous. Ninety seven percent agreed that everyone
(16:12):
should have access to safe drinking water, and ninety two
percent felt that state government should play a role. So
again that strengthened our efforts. We use those polling data
points in our conversations with legislators to demonstrate strong support
for these protections.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
So math DP already has private well regulations that they
have out there for local boards of health to adopt,
and they have resources for private well owners on how
to test, what to test for the frequency of testing,
and they know we're really just hoping that what comes
out of this is Besides the state standard is that
(16:52):
there is more education on this issue available to private
well owners across the state that they're in aging in
their own public health protection by looking at what is
recommended and taking action.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
What will come out of the study, what will be
the deliverable with the study will be analytics obviously, but
what else might be included that We expect.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
That there will be recommendations from the department itself about
how to establish and support a statewide program. The department
already regulates public drinking water and provides support, technical assistance,
and other support to public water supply, so it will
(17:39):
need to develop a similar infrastructure to support private wells
and work with local boards of health and homeowners to
ensure safe drinking water. So that infrastructure will require funding
and staffing. And so this is really a first step
to better understand what will be needed to stand up
(18:00):
a statewide program, how should it look, who should be involved.
There will be hopefully eventually a process to get public
input as well to ensure that various perspectives are considered.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I would end from a fund obviously. The funding thing
part of it will be the challenge, right because they'll
come up with a program that's meaningful, and then where
do they find the money to do it? How do
you see that happening?
Speaker 3 (18:30):
The good news is that there are several examples to
build from. There are other states that already have statewide
private well regulations and programs, so Massachusetts would not be
starting from scratch. The drinking water program for public water
(18:50):
systems is another great starting point, and also I referenced
earlier septic systems. The way in which department support local
boards of health and homeowners and others in ensuring that
septic systems are in compliance is another good starting point.
(19:14):
These programs, once they're up and running, are relatively easy
to maintain and update. It's just the initial upfront time
and effort to figure out how to establish a program
so that it is sustainable and effective in the long term.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
And would the funding contemplate the cleanup of wells? You know,
obviously there's going to be some provision for testing now.
And when they test somebody as well and Central Massachusetts
and find that it's contaminated, what's the next step. What
happens if they don't have the funding to clean it up?
Speaker 2 (19:52):
For folks who are in rural areas, who are USDA
World Development Eligible. There is funding. You can find that
on our website What's in your well Watered dot org.
You can find those resources. So if anyone has something
that they want to look at now about protecting their
and remediating issues in their private well, that is available.
(20:17):
We're hoping that the Mass Housing Fund for the septic
repair loans can be made eligible and available to private
well owners as well.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
So the funding actually is already there, it's just a
matter of identifying where it's needed.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
There are existing funding sources, we recognize that additional funding
sources may need to be identified. We also recognize the
importance of education because public drinking water has a cost
associated with it. People pay fees for public water. Many
(20:55):
people have relied on private wells for many years and
have not viewed it as something they needed to pay
for or necessarily pay for maintaining or testing. And so
there is that education component that while you're not paying
for public water, you should invest in your own private
well to make sure that it's safe to consume, and
(21:18):
hopefully over time it just becomes part of home maintenance budget,
as one would budget for replacing a roof every so often,
you would want to budget for testing your water every
so often and maintaining it and installing a treatment system
when it's necessary. So we recognize that there are certain
(21:41):
homeowners that will still need financial assistance, but for many others,
it really is just that education piece that.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Makes complete sense. How long do you think this whole
process will take for the conclusions from the study or
are made public and then the next steps.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
The report from the Department of Environmental Protection is do
January of next year, which is excellent timing for the
next legislative session as we try to move forward with
our next step in this process, which is to enable
(22:21):
or authorize the Department to actually regulate private wells.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
And we are.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Optimistic about the next legislative session, so hopefully in the
next year or two we'll have another great update to
share with you, Mike and your listeners. But that's the
timeline that we're looking.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
At right now. Well, we've been talking to Amy Shay
and to Jenna Day. They've both been working in their organizations,
have been working incredibly hard to get this next step
funded and they've been successful at doing that. So thank
you both for joining us today. Thank you for having Yes,
(23:04):
We'll be right back after the news at the bottom
of the hour
Speaker 2 (24:08):
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