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STATEMENT FROM EPA SPOKESMAN PEYTON FLEMING REGARDING MA-DEP DECISION

Release Date: 11/13/1998
Contact Information: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

"We're disappointed, but not surprised, that the Commonwealth has opted to ignore filtration, a cost-effective legally-required method of treatment used by major water suppliers all across the country to ensure safe drinking water. The state's action is especially disturbing given that MWRA water does not today, nor has it ever, met the drinking water standards that it must meet to qualify for a filtration waiver. To cite a few examples, they don't meet the requirements for killing giardia and viruses, they have have never consistently met the requirements for coliform bacteria, and they don't meet the requirements for watershed protection. For about six cents a day, Boston-area residents, especially those who cannot afford the luxury of buying bottled water, can receive the protection they deserve - the same protection most of America already enjoys."