PRIVATE WELL INFORMATION
To assist Harvard Acres Residents the Board of Health has
posted some information regarding Private Wells.
Checklist for Obtaining a Well permit
Well Permit application,
List of Approved Well Drillers
(We hope to increase the complanies on this list as more are approved.)
If you have more questions
please call the Board of Health at 978-897-4592 or 978-897-7631.
EEE FOUND IN BOLTON MOSQUITOES 8/24/2010
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) announced today that EEE virus has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Bolton, Massachusetts. In 2009, 3,410 mosquito samples were tested for EEE virus, and 54 positive samples were identified in Massachusetts. Bolton had no EEE virus positive mosquito samples identified in 2009.
EEE is a rare but serious illness spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. While EEE can infect people of all ages, people under 15 years of age or over 50 years of age are at greatest risk for serious illness.
By taking a few, common-sense precautions, people can help to protect themselves and their loved ones:
Avoid Mosquito Bites Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours - The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. Otherwise,
take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing. Clothing Can Help~reduce mosquito bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin. Apply Insect Repellent~when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as
clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.~
Mosquito-Proof Your Home Drain Standing Water~- Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check
rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.~
Install or Repair Screens~- Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors.
While the Bolton Board of Health continues to work closely with the MDPH and other agencies, locally we are actively undertaking an education campaign to make sure the public knows how to reduce their risk of contracting mosquito borne illnesses and to provide the public with the most up to date information.
Information about EEE and reports of EEE virus activity in Massachusetts during 2010 can be found on the MDPH website at http://www.mass.gov/dph/wnv . Recorded information about EEE is also available by calling the MDPH
Public Health Information Line at 1-866-MASS-WNV (1-866-627-7968).
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Stow Board of Health
HEALTH OFFICIALS SEE INCREASED RISK OF
MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESSES IN MASSACHUSETTS
Residents urged to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites
DATE: August 24, 2010
CONTACT: Jack Wallace, Health Director, 978-897-7631
The Town of Stow – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Town of Stow Board of Health wants residents to know that the risk of mosquito-borne illness is on the rise in Massachusetts. These mosquito-borne illnesses include West Nile virus (WNV) and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).
This summer, health officials have seen an increased amount of early season EEE activity in mosquitoes in southeastern Massachusetts, two horses infected with EEE in Worcester County, and a rise in the number of WNV-infected mosquitoes from multiple areas of the state. Locally.
WNV and EEE are spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. People under age 15 or over age 50 are at greatest risk for serious illness from EEE, and people over age 50 are at higher risk for severe infection from WNV.
By taking a few, common-sense precautions, you can help protect yourself and your family:
Avoid Mosquito Bites
· Be aware of peak mosquito hours. The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that take place during evening or early morning hours. Otherwise, take extra care to use bug spray and protective clothing.
· Clothing can help reduce mosquito bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
· Apply bug spray when you go outdoors. Use a bug spray with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age.
Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.
Mosquito-Proof Your Home
· Drain standing water. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.
· Install or repair screens. Keep mosquitoes outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors. Fix any holes or tears in screens, so mosquitoes can’t get in.
Horse owners are encouraged to vaccinate their horses and reduce their horses’ exposure to mosquitoes. Signs of illness in any horse should be evaluated by a veterinarian.
The Stow Board of Health continues to work closely with the DPH and other agencies.
More information about mosquito-borne illness and levels of EEE activity in Massachusetts during 2010 can be found on the DPH website at http://www.mass.gov/dph/wnv. Recorded information about WNV and EEE is also available by calling the DPH Public Health Information Line at 1-866-MASS-WNV (1-866-627-7968).
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Prevention and Control of Lyme Disease Presentation
The Stow Board of Health will present a talk by Dr. Sam Telford of Tufts veterinary school on "Prevention and Control of Lyme Disease". If you would like to know how you can reduce your risk at the personal and community level please come and hear Dr. Telford speak on Thursday, May 13 at 7PM at the Hale Middle School, Hartley Road, Stow.
Dr. Telford is an epidemiologist focusing on arthropod-transmitted infections. Following post doctoral work at Harvard on the Lyme disease vaccine, he served for 10 years as Lecturer in Tropical Public Health. He continued his research on aspects of deer tick transmitted infections such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis and deer tick virus. Dr. Telford currently teaches graduate level courses at the Tufts veterinary school and he advises local, state, and national organizations on public health interventions against tick and mosquito-borne infection.
Please join us on May 13 at 7PM to hear Dr. Telford's talk. For further information please call the Board of Health office at 978-897-4592, Mon-Fri.
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Recommendations for Private Wells Inundated by Flooding
1. Introduction
If you live in an area that was recently or is currently flooded, your private well may be in danger of contamination from pollutants carried in floodwaters. If your well cap is or has been underwater, you should assume that your well is contaminated.
2. Boiling Your Water
If you suspect your drinking water is contaminated, you should obtain water from a known safe source for drinking, cooking and food preparation. You can get water from a neighbor's well you know is safe, from a community water supply or you can purchase bottled water. If you cannot find a convenient source of safe water, you can boil your well water for five minutes before use.
If you have any questions about your well or water quality, please call your local Board of Health or the MassDEP Drinking Water Program at 617-292-5770 during business hours. Use the following procedure to disinfect your well.
3. Disinfecting a Well
- Once the water has subsided below the cap of the well, remove the well cap. Mix the appropriate amount of unscented chlorine bleach (Clorox, Dazzle, or other EPA/NSF approved bleach) from the table below with 5 gallons of water and pour into the well. Make sure the well casing walls are wetted completely with the solution.
- Replace the well cap. In order to distribute the disinfectant, the well should be pumped, re-circulating the water back to the well, for at least 15 minutes.
- Open all faucets, sill cocks and similar outlets individually until you smell chlorine in each outlet.
- Allow the mixture to stand in the system a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight, then flush the chlorine mixture from the system using an outside faucet and garden hose. DO NOT FLUSH THE MIXTURE INTO YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM. You may resume using the toilet facilities as the septic system is designed to handle this, but the septic system cannot handle the large amount of water needed to flush the chlorine from the well. Since the chlorine will kill grass, be careful where you run the water outside.
- After disinfection, the water supply should be sampled and tested for coliform bacteria by a MassDEP certified laboratory. To find a certified lab, click on http://public.dep.state.ma.us/Labcert/Labcert.aspx, or call the MassDEP Wall Experiment Station at 978-682-5237. Sampling should be done 24 hours after the odor of chlorine disappears. It takes about 3 or 4 days of normal water usage before all of the chlorine smell disappears.
Drilled Well (Please note: a greater amount of chlorine may be needed to disinfect the water depending on the degree of contamination) |
Depth |
Dosage |
50 feet |
2 1/2 cups |
100 feet |
1 1/2 quarts |
150 feet |
2 quarts |
200 feet |
2 1/2 quarts |
250 feet |
3 quarts |
300 feet |
3 1/2 quarts |
Dug Well (Approximate amount of water in the bottom of a well and not the total depth of the well. For a surface SPRING, use 2 gallons) |
Depth |
Dosage (gal.) |
5 feet |
1/2 gallon |
10 feet |
1 gallon |
15 feet |
1 1/2 gallons |
20 feet |
2 gallons |
4. Contact Information
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Description of Duties:
Overview:
The Board of Health is the local authority responsible for disease prevention and control, public health and environmental protection, and promoting a healthy community. It derives its power from the General Laws of Massachusetts.
The Board enforces local and state regulations governing wells and water supplies, septic systems and sewerage, trash and recycling, animal control and husbandry, mosquito control, public bathing beaches, tobacco control, food services, disease prevention, medical care, and social services. It can develop and implement health policies through local regulations that can be more stringent than state regulations.
Services:
Emergency Information:
In case of emergency (unforeseen public health condition requiring prompt action) during business hours, call the office.
In case of emergency during non-working or non-office hours, contact one of the committee members listed below.
members
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