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Norwood water customers recently received notification about a violation of drinking water standards.

In a notice issued to the public, the town reported elevated levels of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in the water. The maximum contaminant level (MCL) for HAA5 is .0060 milligrams per liter. The level of the tested water, which started Oct. 1, 2024, was .0065 mg/L.

Norwood Town Manager Ray Allen said in an email HAAs “are disinfection byproducts that are created when the chlorine used to treat drinking water react with natural organic material in the surface water of a river or lake, in this case Lake Tillery from which Norwood draws its untreated water.”

Allen said the water treatment plant operator “has increased potassium permanganate and pre-caustic treatments before adding aluminum sulfate, which helps remove impurities from the water. They have also boosted ortho phosphate levels and PH in the finished water that leaves the plant.”

Allen said the water “is safe to drink but citizens who have specific health concerns such as a severely compromised immune system or are pregnant are encouraged to discuss this with their physician.”

Allen said he did not know the last time the town sent out a notice, but added “we believe it has been at least three or four years or more since the last one, so this has not been an ongoing issue.”

The notice said customers did not have to boil water to make it safe or take other corrective actions.