Questions and Answers About Health Risks
Is it safe to drink the tap
water?
Yes. If Mashpee or Falmouth
supply your drinking water, it is regulated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and
considered safe to drink. If you are using well water, the Air Force Center for
Environmental Excellence regularly samples private well water in areas near known ground-
water contamination. All private well samples collected in 2001 met the standards for safe
drinking water.
Is it safe to swim and boat
in the ponds?
Based on available surface
water data, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has determined that
Ashumet Pond and Johns Pond are safe for swimming, wading and boating. Like other ponds,
algae blooms or high bacteria levels in the ponds sometimes can make it unsafe for
swimming. Contact your local Board of Health for the most up-to-date information.
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| The Massachusetts Department of Public
Health has determined that Ashumet and Johns ponds are safe for swimming, wading, boating,
and catch-and-release fishing. |
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Is it safe to eat fish from
the ponds?
Catch-and-release fishing is
safe for all water bodies near MMR. However, mercury has been detected in fish from
Ashumet and Johns ponds at levels warranting an MDPH Public Health Fish Consumption
Advisory. This advisory includes a number of ponds in the Commonwealth and is not related
to any contamination from the Massachusetts Military Reservation.
The advisory states that
children younger than 12 years, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and women of childbearing
age who may become pregnant should not eat largemouth bass from Ashumet Pond or any fish
from Johns Pond. In addition, the general public should limit consumption of largemouth
bass from Ashumet Pond to two meals per month. For Johns Pond, the general public should
not eat any smallmouth bass and limit consumption of all other fish from the pond to two
meals per month. For more details, contact MDPH at 617-624-5757 or view the advisory
online at www.state.ma.us/dph/beha/fishlist.htm.
Some Bullhead Catfish in
Ashumet and Johns ponds have wart-like growths called papillomas. The MDPH has determined
that there are no known health risks from eating these fish beyond those detailed in the
Freshwater Fish Consumption Advisory for mercury.
I now receive municipal
water, but still have a well. Can I use my well for lawn watering, gardening or car
washing?
The Air Force Center for
Environmental Excellence does not test residential wells for water quality once a
household is connected to a public water supply. If you wish to use water from your well,
it is recommended that you test the quality of the water before you use it. Contact your
local Board of Health for advice on water quality testing.
Are plume contaminants
flowing into the ponds?
Yes. Small amounts of
contaminated groundwater from the Massachusetts Military Reservation have discharged into
the bottom sediments of Ashumet and Johns ponds. The map on page two identifies these
locations as "areas of upwelling." All surface water samples collected from the
ponds, however, have tested at levels below health concern.
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Plume Outlines—Summer 2002
Ashumet and Johns Ponds Area
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Plume
Cleanup Progress—Ashumet and Johns Ponds Area
Alum
Treatment Reduces Phosphorus in Ashumet Pond
Last fall, the Air Force
Center for Environmental Excellence conducted a pilot project with a goal of reducing the
presence of phosphorus and enhancing the overall health of Ashumet Pond.
Liquid alum was applied to 28
of the pond's 203 acres in a deep basin on the eastern side of the pond. The treatment was
limited to the deepest part of the pond in order to reduce the chances of adverse impacts
to fish and target higher levels of phosphorus.
The military base's former
wastewater treatment plant was a significant source of the phosphorus. Although the plant
closed in 1995, phosphorus has been traveling from the base in a groundwater plume with a
portion of it discharging into Ashumet Pond. The alum treatment was accomplished with no
harm to fish in the pond. Monitoring data taken thirty days after the treatment indicated
that phosphorus had been reduced by 70% at the 40-foot depth level. Phosphorus and other
nutrients, however, are still entering the pond from the plume as well as through
residential septic systems and road r unoff.
While the alum treatment is
expected to have long-term benefits for the health of the pond, algae blooms will still
occur -- particularly when the optimal combination of nutrients, oxygen, light and warmer
water provide the ideal habitat for algae growth.
The Air Force Center for
Environmental Excellence is monitoring the pond to assess the long-term effects of the
treatment and will continue to work with residents, local governments and regulatory
agencies to determine future courses of action to improve the health of Ashumet Pond.
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