Well problem might not be isolated

The macadam along Boston Road in Groton has almost vanished where Berta Erickson lives, worn down by heavy rains and water from thawing snow that gush down from the road and into her yard every spring.

Her lawn, scattered with trees, is a steep descent from the roadway, funneling down to the hut that houses the pump for her drinking well.

Erickson said the steep slope is the major reason why she has faced saline problems in her drinking water. She said road salt from the winter months washes down onto her property.

With the Massachusetts Highway Department moving forward with plans to drill new wells on her property and in the yard of her neighbor, whose well also has high saline levels, Erickson's three-year campaign to force state officials to remedy the problem appears to be nearing an end.

But health officials and specialists warn that other properties with private wells in the area could be facing similar problems.

Michael Carlson, president of Thorstensen Labs, a Westford environmental testing lab that initially tested Erickson's drinking water, said last week that other wells along Boston Road may have high saline levels as well.

Since neither the town nor the state has any legal obligation to test private wells, the onus falls on the owners to make sure their drinking water remains potable, say local officials.

Carlson said several private wells along the state- owned-and-maintained road are old, shallow wells, increasing their susceptibility to contaminants from roadside wash and other sources.

Many of the wells are grandfathered, meaning they do not conform to modern standards for well safety, he added.

``A lot of the older homes didn't have the same rules back then," Carlson said.

The problem may also be more widespread in town. But health officials interviewed couldn't say how many properties in town have potentially susceptible wells.

Jason Weber, chairman of the Board of Health, encouraged residents with private wells to run saline tests, which cost approximately $25 per test, as a safety precaution.

``Residents should get their wells tested if they think there is a problem," Weber said. ``The best thing to do is to prevent a problem up front."

A sign of high saline in drinking water is a white residue build-up in sinks and around shower heads, said Carlson.

Erickson said a tenant who rented part of her home once noticed a crystal film forming around the bowl of her sink.

Saline levels in the water from wells at Erickson's house and that of her neighbor were high when Thorstensen Labs initially tested the wells, said Carlson. The state advises that drinking water have no more than 20 milligrams of salt per liter, but Erickson's well exceeded 500 milligrams per liter, he said.

After conducting its own tests on the drinking water, MassHighway shipped in bottled water to both homes to help remedy the problem while it sought a longer-term solution. Plans to drill the new wells were stalled after the Board of Health issued a cease-and-desist order on the plans this spring because the wells didn't conform to local regulations, said Erik Abell, spokesman for the Highway Department

Though the department claims to be exempt from local regulations, MassHighway has applied for variances from the Board of Health for the well project on the Hibbert property, the neighbors of Erickson, to appease local officials, said Abell.

Variances will also be sought for Erickson's new well, which has not moved through the hearing process yet, said Debby Butcher, secretary to the Board of Health.

Salt runoff from roadways into water sources is not a problem specific to Groton.

Earlier this year, Dunstable officials began using a product called Ice Ban, which is believed to be a less harmful substitute for road salt. The step was in response to high saline levels found in a local well.

Westford and other towns in the area have also been using the product for years to cut down on the amount of salt used on roads.

Abell said MassHighway is currently investigating alternatives to road salt in order to prevent high saline levels in other wells. Similar instances of road salt infiltrating well systems have troubled the state Highway Department in other areas of the state, he said.

``We have recognized the environmental impact of salt and are looking into alternatives," said Abell.