Henry Woods Paint Factory Waste Site

Can I swim, wade, play in, or drink the water from Lower Waban Brook?

NO! Absolutely not. You will come into contact with dangerous levels of lead and arsenic. Any activity which disturbs the bottom sediments creates hazardous levels of lead and arsenic, which then flow directly into the Charles River, which is a drinking water supply for Natick, Dover, and Needham.

Can I swim, wade, play in, or drink the water from Lake Waban?

Yes, sort of. Designated swimming areas are safe for swimming but not for drinking. Stay on marked paths, and do not swim in the northern portion of the lake near the boat moorings, or the western cove near the culverts.

Can I drink water from the aquifer fed by Lower Waban Brook?

If you live in South Natick, then you don't have a choice. You ARE ALREADY drinking the water. Lower Waban Brook and the Charles River recharge the groundwater aquifer from which South Natick gets its water. WHenever weather conditions disturb the brook's sediments, lead and arsenic travel toward the portion of the Charles which feeds Natick's wells. Current testing shows acceptable lead levels. You can get the most recent test data from Roger Wade, Natick Board of Health Director.

The Henry Woods Paint Factory and its accompanying lead smelter was built in 1848 and abandoned in 1917. Its lead, arsenic and chromate pigment raw materials remain. The factory site is bounded on the North by Morses Pond, and reaches as far south as the Charles River in Dover, only a few hundred feet from where the Town of Natick operates its Elm Bank drinking water wells. Lead, Arsenic, and chromium are moving south toward the Charles River and Elm Bank via contaminated suspended sediments.

Lead waste moving closer to Natick Water Wells

Testing done in 1999 has found that dangerous lead contaminination has spread as far south as Waban Brook, which connects Lake Waban to the Charles River on the south side of Route 16. This contamination is spreading toward the Charles River and the Town of Needham and Natick drinking water supply wells recharge zones.

Lower Waban Brook's sediments contain up to 2.1 % lead at the surface. Signs posted along the scenic brook along Route 16 Eastbound in Wellesley and at the Nonantum Golf Course warn of this new hazard. Wellesley College, which is responsible for this site, has responded to the contamination by fencing off much of the affected area.

The lead contamination is spread by contaminated sediment passing through the lake into the Lake's outlet, Lower Waban Brook. The brook waters contain from 88 to 1,200 parts per billion of lead. (Depending on how much the bottom sediments are disturbed. This is from 5 to 80 times higher than the drinking water standard. This stream empties into the Charles River directly upstream of Natick's drinking water wells at Elm Bank.

Lead in Brook water and sediment
(Station 225 is 500 ft. from Elm Bank)

Safe drinking water standard	15 ppb
Lower Waban Brook water	88 ppb
Lower Waban Brook water (agitated)	1,200 ppb
Brook sediment sta. #225	21,000,000 ppb

Contaminants in Lower Waban Brook Sediment

Lead	21,000 ppm max.
Arsenic	110. ppm max.
Chromium	3,100 ppm max.
Cyanide	1,300 ppb max.