Come on in, the water’s fine.

At the Select Board’s June 6 meeting, Interim Director of Public Works Director Tim Barber announced that recent samples from the Reed Road water main are now below the state’s 12-month standard for contaminants. 

“There will be no notifications for this quarter,” he said, referring to contamination notices the department has sent out in recent months.

Sample testing for lead and copper also passed inspections, as did the DPW’s facilities in a recent survey conducted by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

Earlier this year, town officials urged action after the state issued the Town of Dartmouth a notice of noncompliance, meaning that a public water supplier violated an enforceable standard.

The notice came after the main was given three violations in 2021 for exceeding the state’s yearly average for haloacetic acids — a byproduct of chlorine disinfection, also called HAA5.

Superintendent of Water and Sewer Steve Sullivan previously noted one of the driving factors behind the previously high levels is the lack of constant use the Reed Road main has, which causes sediment and disinfectant byproducts such as HAA5s and TTHMs to build up.

On average, Sullivan said, the water sits in the Reed Road main for around four days. The department’s main on Chase Road, meanwhile, is typically cycled through every two hours.

To remedy the issue, the town last year switched its treatment system from chlorine to chloramines, which officials say should reduce levels of HAA5.

The Water Department also regularly flushed the Reed Road lines to maintain flow — something Barber said the DPW will continue to do as officials seek further upgrades to the system to drive down contaminant levels.

“We continue to strive for quality water,” he said. “We’re definitely not going to rest.”