Drinking Water Contamination in Charlton: Education and Solutions

During our Interactive Qualifying Project we investigated the extent and implications of ground water contamination in Charlton. We searched for possible solutions to the issues presented in our findings. The main deliverable of our project was an educational component that will be composed of several videos. These videos focused on the current situation in Charlton and the need for independent water testing.

Project Sponsor:

Our project sponsor was Robin Craver, the Town Administrator of Charlton, MA. She agreed to a 30 million dollar settlement with ExxonMobil for MTBE contamination in Charlton’s ground water.

Town Administrator, Robin Craver

Charlton, MA Town Hall

Student Researchers:

Charlton, MA Project Group; left to right : Jacob Grealis, Tristam Winship, Blake Rice, James Gadoury

Our project team consisted of the following members:

James Gadoury, Aerospace Engineering 2017
Jacob Grealis, Mechanical Engineering 2018
Blake Rice, Aerospace Engineering 2018
Tristam Winship, Aeronautical Engineering 2018

Project Goal:

Inform Charlton residents on implications of Charlton’s water contamination, methods of independent water testing, the benefits of connecting to town water, and approaches for Charlton residents to decontaminate their private wells.

Objectives:

Assessed Charlton’s drinking water sources, methods of well testing, and treatment.
Gauged public awareness of Charlton’s drinking water contamination.
Researched strategies to identify and mitigate contamination in private wells.
Developed a list of recommendations for Charlton residents and officials.
Produced two informational videos for Charlton residents.