Mercury at Drinking Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities

From March through June 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) funded NEWMOA to research mercury pollution prevention awareness and practices, and to support outreach efforts during the upgrades of wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities. NEWMOA partnered with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) to complete this project, and the two groups prepared the following materials:

• "Mercury-Added Products Found at Drinking Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities" provides descriptions and photographs of mercury-added products likely to be found at these facilities; describes the amount of mercury in the products (if known), their potential for breakage and spills, and possibility of human exposure to mercury if broken; and notes the availability of non-mercury alternatives (where applicable).

• "Managing Mercury Switches Found at Water Treatment Plants in Massachusetts & Other States" focuses specifically on mercury-added switches.  It includes background information about the health effects of mercury, the types of mercury-added switches that are likely to be found at these facilities, their potential for breakage, and proper disposal/recycling of these devices.

• "FY 2010 Mercury Education & Reduction Projects - Final Report" presents the results of site visits to and assistance for six water treatment facilities in Massachusetts on their use of mercury-added products.

In addition, NEWMOA developed a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the overall results of this project:

• "Mercury Devices at Drinking Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities" was developed for the EPA Region 7 Mercury Task Force and was presented during one of their conference calls. The presentation helps inform others about the types of mercury-added products found at water treatment facilities.

For more information contact Rachel Smith at rsmith@newmoa.org.