Fireworks at muster approved in Millis
The fireworks display for this year's firefighters' muster in Millis has been given the go-ahead, but selectmen say they will step up testing to make sure the explosives aren't contaminating town drinking water.
Water tests in at least nine communities in Massachusetts have shown signs of perchlorate, a chemical used in fireworks and other explosives. The state says fireworks displays in three of those communities appear to be the source of the contamination.
According to the Department of Environmental Protection, the chemical interferes with thyroid function in humans and can impair development.
Selectmen said there isn't enough evidence that the fireworks would endanger the water supply to warrant canceling the display.
"We're not doing any witch hunts here," selectmen chairman Charles Vecchi said. "We just want to make sure that, going forward, we're on top of this."
The state mandates testing for the chemical in each of the next three years. Selectmen voted last week to add two extra tests to the schedule.
The town will test the water once before the fireworks display to obtain a baseline reading, and once after the display to see if the fireworks add the chemical to the water.
In the firefighters' muster, departments from different towns engage one another in a set of skill competitions. For the last three years, fireworks have been shot off at Oak Grove Farm for the event.
The site is more than a mile away from town wells, but nearby streams and wetlands feed into the town's water supply.
Bob Jaksina, a production manager for Jaffrey, N.H.-based Atlas PyroVision Productions, said that almost all of the perchlorate in fireworks dissipates when the product explodes.
His crews work diligently to retrieve any duds that do not go off, he said. "There's so much water there and so little perchlorate that it's not even an issue," Jaksina said.
Jaksina said his company follows state guidelines, and that perchlorate and water supplies have not been definitively linked. "The sources of that contamination have not been clearly identified," he said.
"They cannot do a study that says this stuff hit the ground and it's in the water."
Selectmen said that without proof the fireworks are causing a problem, the display should go on. "I just don't think we should jump the gun here," electman Donald Hendon said. "If the DEP can't make up its mind, I don't know how they expect us to make up our mind."
Daniel Garson, a consultant hired by the town, said officials are taking an appropriate precaution by ordering the additional tests. "I think they're doing the right thing," he said. "If something is observed, they'll have three separate tests."
The muster will take place Sept. 15. Fire Chief Warren Champagne said he supports efforts to learn more how the fireworks might affect the town's drinking water.
"We're in the safety business," he said. "If we're doing something that isn't safe for the water supply, we want to know about it."
