Every year, after months of eagerly awaiting their first semester at Harvard, first-years finally get a true taste of life in Cambridge--when they turn on the water faucet.

A few times each year, Cambridge residents are confronted with a glass full of brown, murky liquid.

Although weekly tests of the Cambridge water supply by the city water department do meet standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, city officials have nevertheless begun plans this year for a new water treatment facility at Fresh Pond.

The plant would replace or restore the existing facility there, which has been treating Cambridge drinking water since 1922.

Some areas of the current plant appeared to be in disrepair on a recent tour, with standing water underneath electrical wires, peeling paint and leaking ceilings.

Nancy E. Barnes, director of the Cambridge Water Department, says the water is safe to drink. But she also acknowledges that quality could be improved by a new water treatment plant combined with a new distribution system.

"One of the things everyone has come to face is the fact that with $40,000 [for a new plant], we can put out better water," says Barnes. She says the current facility has structural problems.

Watery Woes

Cambridge residents have long-bemoaned the brown color, tinny taste and unpleasant odor of their water.

Even city hall has installed bottled water coolers, according to city manager Robert W. Healy.

"City Hall has bottled water in some locations and fountain water in others," Healy says.

Healy says coolers were installed because public drinking fountains are difficult to keep clean since homeless people use them to "do their toiletries."

Harvard University has reacted to complaints from students and faculty by installing filters in some of the houses and by purchasing bottled water in some departments, according to Michael P. Berry, director of Harvard Dining Services.

Berry says he hopes to find a water conservation plan which will save enough money to allow Dining Services to install filters on all drinking water sources.

Berry says his filtration plans are not in reaction to student health risks, but stem from the water's taste.

"It does have a certain flavor," Berry chuckles.

Harvard departments and students also purchase bottled water and coolers. John Mangini, a sales manager for Poland Spring Water says Harvard purchases a large percentage of the water his company sells in Cambridge.

"Poland Springs does an awful lot of business with Harvard University," Mangini says.

Although Mangini says he recommends Poland Springs, he says there is no problem with Cambridge water.

"The [Cambridge] water meets requirements--it's within safe limits--it's just not as good," Mangini says.

Many restaurants in Harvard Square, overwhelmed by customer complaints, have elected to offer alternative water options including filtration systems and bottled water.

Charlie Christopher, owner of Christopher's Restaurant, says of Cambridge water, "I wouldn't put it to my lips."

Christopher has opted to install a ten-stage filtration system to purify the water for the patrons of his Porter Square eatery. He describes the matter collected in the filter as "what you would expect to see at the bottom of a pier--fuzzy, mangy."

He says the restaurant received warnings last summer with its water bills noting high chemical levels.

According to the EPA, these warnings are commonly sent out whenever city water exceeds standard levels.

The manager of Pizzeria Uno says the restaurant began purchasing bottled water after receiving many complaints about the tap water.

"We always try to offer Poland Springs over Cambridge water," she says.

Jessica Thomas, a waitress at Grendel's Den, says the restaurant receives many customer complaints.

"They say it tastes tiny or musky and mention an odor," Thomas says.

"Municipal water is a bad idea," Christopher says. "You have no idea what you're drinking. They can add hundreds of chemicals legally to balance the water. Who knows what happens when they mix."

A Murky Past

Cambridge water has had its share of problems. In 1990, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection fined the city $19,000 for exceeding the limits for Trihalomethanes (THMS), a category of carcinogens.

J. Kevin Reilly, a spokesperson for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, says that the Agency's water regulations are intended to reduce contaminant levels in the water.

"There's a one in a million risk of somebody coming down with cancer, but that depends on that person drinking two liters a day for 70 years," Reilly says.

Statistics from the American Water Works Association indicate that most people do drink about 2.4 liters of water per day.

According to Barnes, THMS form when chlorine, added to purify water, combines with organic matter, such as leaves.

Present levels of THMS fall far below these limits. Barnes attributes this decline to the covering of the Payson Park storage facility where treated Cambridge water is held prior to distribution.

The storage facility was covered in 1990, after concerns arose about the possibility of contamination to treated water, Barnes says. After covering the reservoir, the city was able to halve the amount of added chlorine, which then reduced the THMS.

Barnes says the occasional brown color of the water is due to a combination of water from underground sources and surface water from rain, lakes, streams, which results when Fresh Pond drops below a certain level, as it did this fall.

The high level of manganese in the ground water caused the brown color, says Barnes. She says manganese is not harmful at these levels.

Another perennial problem in the water supplies is high sodium content. Cambridge water repeatedly has more sodium than EPA guidelines recommend. Barnes says the sodium level is not harmful, and the EPA says its "guidelines" are only advisory, and do not have the force of law.

Barnes says the high sodium levels in the water are due to run-off from Route 128, which runs within 15 feet of the Hobbs Brook reservoir. The proximity of the highway to the reservoir has also caused concern over the possibility of chemical spills or other accidents.

City and water department officials worry that development in the area of the Cambridge watershed may endanger water sources.

City Councillor Francis H. Duehay '55 says he is a proponent of a legislative bill which would protect reservoir areas from the hazards of over development.

"One hundred years ago these were rural areas, but not any more," Duehay says. "Waltham has developed underground sewage and gasoline tanks in the area of the [Hobbs Brook] Reservoir."

In the past, city councillors and Cantabrigians have complained about a city ordinance which allows dogs to run free at Fresh Pond. Although dog waste have been known to spread disease in drinking water, there is no evidence of this occurring at Fresh Pond, Duehay says.

Barnes agrees that there is no proof of a present risk, but says she feels dogs are still inappropriate near an open water supply.

"Isn't it funny the only place you can have your dog off a leash in metropolitan Boston is also the only public drinking water supply in Boston?" Barnes asks.

Future of Fresh Pond

The Cambridge Water Department and the city manager's office have begun plans this year for a new treatment facility at Fresh Pond.

The project, which Barnes estimates will cost $40 million, would be completed in the late 90s.

Barnes says she believes the quality of the water has improved since 1988, but that a new distribution system would enhance water purity.

Barnes says many of the pipes which supply water to homes and businesses are in disrepair and need to be replaced or renovated, because the majority of the pipes were installed between 1880 and 1920.

City Manager Healey says his office plans to have the new treatment facility ready for a bid by 1995.

Funds for a new treatment plant would come from increased water rates, Barnes says.

But that solution may have its drawbacks.

Harold A. Hawkes, associate director for engineering and utilities in the Harvard facilities maintenance department, says an increase in water rates would be a substantial expense for the University.

"Harvard's water bill is already nearly $2 million per year," Hawkes says.

Harvard University is second only to MIT in water consumption. Combined with Harvard Real Estate, the University becomes the city's largest water customer--on the order of 500 million gallons a year.

The water mains which run under Harvard Yard and pump water to University buildings were replaced last summer, says Hawkes.

But Peter Bushnack of Harvard's Office of Environmental Safety says many of the pipes in Harvard buildings were sealed with a lead solder which reacts with Cambridge water and can leave lead residue.

"We test for lead traces anywhere there are children under six," Bushnack says, "such as daycare centers." However, he maintains that he has found no harmful levels.

So, Who Drinks Cambridge Water?

"I have grown up in Cambridge all my life and I drink it every day," Duehay affirms.

He says the public does not appreciate the fact that the water is treated with fluoride.

"Fluoride is the most effective way to prevent cavities," Duehay says. "People are not allowing children to get the benefit of fluoride."

Bill Bartley, owner of Mr. & Mrs. Bartley's Burger and Salad Cottage, says, "We don't receive any complaints."

"I don't see any problem with Cambridge water," Bartley says. "It's great for a city."

Barnes says she is eager for the new treatment facility to be approved and built. But even if the new facility puts Cambridge water on par with Perrier or Poland Springs, there's no guarantee the complaints will stop.

"People complain about Cambridge water who haven't had Cambridge water in quite some time," Barnes says.CrimsonDavid E. Rosen