The Hidden Threat in Your Tap: How Lakeville’s Cranberry Bog Chemical Crisis is Contaminating Private Wells and Home Water Systems
Beneath the picturesque crimson bogs that define southeastern Massachusetts’ agricultural landscape lies a growing environmental crisis that’s threatening the drinking water of thousands of residents. The Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury (PCKD) aquifer system, designated a Sole Source Aquifer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, serves as the primary water source for communities including Lakeville, yet it’s increasingly vulnerable to contamination from cranberry agriculture.
The Scope of the Problem
Cranberry-growing conditions necessitate the use of high levels of chemicals—both fertilizers and pesticides—with conventional growers adding phosphorus-based fertilizers and pesticides to facilitate fruit output. In a 2008 report examining pesticide levels on common fruits and vegetables, the Organic Center found cranberries to have the highest “Dietary Risk Index” of all domestically grown fruits tested, indicating particularly high toxicity levels and chemical usage.
The contamination pathway is direct and alarming. At the end of each growing season, water is pumped into cranberry bogs from nearby lakes and wetlands, and once cranberries are harvested, the bog water—now laced with chemicals—is pumped through ditches, dikes, and dams and discharged back into local bodies of water.
Lakeville’s Vulnerability
Lakeville officials are currently debating a shift from private wells to public water supply amid contamination concerns, with discussions highlighting the tension between maintaining private well systems and the potential necessity for a public water supply, especially given increasing development and environmental concerns.
More than 400,000 Massachusetts residents get their drinking water from private wells, many of which are not tested regularly and could be contaminated with bacteria, nitrates, radon, arsenic or other pollutants. Southeastern Massachusetts has had occasional problems with elevated nitrate levels in groundwater, making the region particularly susceptible to agricultural contamination.
The Chemical Cocktail
Research reveals the extent of chemical contamination from cranberry operations. Some cranberry pesticides found in drinking water are banned in dozens of countries, with the European Union ruling that certain pesticides are too dangerous at any level for human consumption due to their toxicity and persistence in water.
Although ammonium-based fertilizers are widely used by the Massachusetts cranberry industry, aerated sandy soils generally result in nitrification of ammonium to nitrate, which is one of the most ubiquitous and persistent agricultural contaminants found in shallow groundwater. The two biggest factors influencing nitrogen discharge from cranberry bogs are time of year and location of the bog in relation to groundwater.
Regulatory Gaps and Enforcement Challenges
A significant problem lies in regulatory exemptions. Agricultural runoff is not covered under Clean Water Act permits, and cranberry producers have taken this exemption to the detriment of waters surrounding cranberry bogs. Farm runoff is typically not regulated under the Clean Water Act because agricultural runoff was exempted in 1977, with most regulation happening at the state level or through voluntary adherence to best management practices.
Health Implications and Testing Concerns
Private wells are not regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and homeowners with private wells are generally not required to test their drinking water. This creates a dangerous knowledge gap for residents who may be unknowingly consuming contaminated water.
While arsenic and radon have been linked to cancer, high nitrate levels can have adverse health impacts on young infants. Sampling by the United States Geological Survey has found contamination in about one of every five private wells, with few water-quality rules regulating those wells, meaning there is no water company to call and often no simple way to cure the contamination.
Professional Water System Solutions
When contamination strikes your home’s water supply, professional intervention becomes essential. Homeowners are often forced to choose between installing expensive filtration systems, spending thousands to dig deeper wells, ignoring the problem, or moving. This is where working with a qualified Plumber in Lakeville, MA becomes crucial for implementing proper water treatment and plumbing solutions.
Dempsey Energy, a family-owned company established in 1992, understands the unique challenges facing southeastern Massachusetts homeowners. For over 30 years, families across Massachusetts have trusted them to keep their homes running efficiently, with fast, same-day repairs, fully stocked trucks, and 24/7 emergency services. Their plumbing division carries the same values they started with: reliability, transparency, and showing up when others don’t.
Moving Forward: Prevention and Protection
While testing is critical to check for contamination, homeowners, businesses and local governments can follow guidelines to prevent well water from becoming contaminated, including taking extra care when using or disposing of pesticides, cleaning fluids, fertilizers, paints, motor oils and gasoline.
The forum concluded with a call for increased public awareness regarding well water testing, emphasizing that residents should not take the safety of their water for granted. Regular testing, professional water system maintenance, and proper filtration systems are essential components of protecting your family’s health.
As Lakeville and surrounding communities grapple with this ongoing crisis, the importance of professional plumbing services and water system expertise cannot be overstated. Whether installing filtration systems, upgrading plumbing infrastructure, or providing emergency repairs when contamination is discovered, qualified professionals play a vital role in safeguarding public health against this hidden environmental threat.