Massachusetts Perchlorate Study

In August 2005, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued a draft report on perchlorate in state water bodies. The agency tested 600 public water supply systems and found only nine of them to have a perchlorate content above the detection limit of one ppb, thus concluding "the perchlorate ion is not pervasive in the surface water or ground water in Massachusetts." The report identified perchlorate as coming from explosives used in blasting, from fireworks, and from sodium hypochlorite solution used in water treatment facilities and as household bleach. There is some evidence of anaerobic degradation of perchlorate, and the study found a reduction of perchlorate content in water flowing through septic systems.  This would seem to mitigate against the development of more specific standards to limit perchlorate content in drinking water or discharge waters (POTWs) in Massachusetts.