Water Department News and Notices

Water Main Break - 12/6/2020

There is a water main break on Franklin Avenue.   Residents and businesses in the affected area may experience discolored water and low water pressure.

Brown water occurs when the flow of water in the mains is altered. That can occur from unauthorized use of fire hydrants, fire fighting, or in this case a water main break.

The break should be repaired shortly and water pressure will be restored.  Please run water for 10-15 minutes or until water clears to address any discolored water.

Thank you for your patience.

There is a water main break on Freeman Place.   Residents and businesses in the affected area may experience discolored water and low water pressure.

Brown water occurs when the flow of water in the mains is altered. That can occur from unauthorized use of fire hydrants, fire fighting, or in this case a water main break.

The break should be repaired shortly and water pressure will be restored.  Please run water for 10-15 minutes or until water clears to address any discolored water.

Thank you for your patience.

Brown Water Issues - 4/29/20 Some parts of town may be experiencing brown water. There is a major water main break in Jersey City. In order to keep a constant water supply to the hospitals and medical facilities in Jersey City, our water supplier Passaic Valley Water diverted water for the health and safety of the citizens of Jersey City. When water is diverted in this fashion it causes a disruption in the flow of water that stirs up the minerals in our pipes resulting n brown water. The water is safe. Please run your cold water tap 10-15 to clear any discoloration. Thank you.

TOWNSHIP OF NUTLEY 1 Kennedy Drive - Nutley, New Jersey 07110 - (973) 284-4951 Website: www.nutleynj.org - Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutleynjgovernment

You are receiving this communication because you have signed up to receive notifications from the Township of Nutley, NJ. We kindly ask that you spread the word to your friends, neighbors and family in Nutley, regarding our system that allows for Emergency Notification and Public Notices to residents and the sending out of valuable community information, such as this e-mail.

• Download: Newark Water Update -8-16-19

TOWNSHIP OF NUTLEY
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY 07110
PHONE: (973) 284-4959
FAX: (973) 284-4995

DR. JOSEPH P. SCARPELLI
MAYOR

Update on Newark Water including both Lead and Haloacetic Acid Issues

In light of media coverage of the Newark water situation, on Tuesday morning my office spoke with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) Commissioner Catherine McCabe, along with Belleville Mayor Michael Melham and Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia to discuss the ongoing water issues in Newark, its impacts on all three neighboring communities, and the appropriate responses to these issues.  We also spoke about our efforts to upgrade our infrastructure, not only in Nutley, but in all three communities.

To be clear, the water we all receive from Newark is lead-free, and safe to drink. Lead is only introduced into the water supply by the internal plumbing or through service lines.

Later Tuesday afternoon we also had a conference call with the Governor’s office, the NJ DEP, the City of Newark and various elected officials to get the facts as it pertains to Newark and their lead testing.

Test results from the tap water of older homes with known lead plumbing performed on August 9, 2019 have shown that a small sample of water filters (2 of 3) provided to the City of Newark may not be removing lead to the low levels expected.  These tests are inconclusive as to the effectiveness of these water filters, not only because of the small sample size, but other factors in a non-controlled environment.

The Nutley Water Department is operating under an excess of caution and will be doing expedited water testing of the PUR filters we have purchased for distribution.

As we await follow-up testing from our Water Department and the other municipalities, it must be noted that the PUR filter is certified by the NSF to remove both lead and haloacetic acid from tap water (www.pur.com).

Until this additional testing is completed, residents who are pregnant or have small children are advised to use bottled water for drinking, cooking and preparing baby formula.

Further decisions will be made about the best course of action as soon as we receive the additional testing results back.  We are working closely with the Governor’s office, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the NJ DEP, the City of Newark, and the water filter manufacturer.

In addition, the Nutley Water Department strongly encourages all residents as a matter of habit to run their water for 1-2 minutes, especially first thing in the morning, in order to introduce fresh water into their homes.

What has Newark Water been doing to address both corrosion control and Haloacetic Acid levels?
As of May 7, 2019, Newark Water installed and began operating a new temporary corrosion control treatment system to replace the one that is no longer effective. As of August 13, 2019, as part of the City of Newark's initial filter testing their engineers are already seeing reduced lead levels in homes based on the addition of orthophosphate. Newark is optimistic that the orthophosphate will eventually provide the protective coating necessary to prevent lead from leaching from any lead pipes. Experts expect to see a further reduction in lead levels in those homes by the end of this year if enough orthophosphate is circulated within the system.

On July 9, Newark began addressing the disinfection byproduct (haloacetic acid) levels by introducing potassium permanganate and moving their pre-chlorination location.  These changes have already resulted in the lowering of haloacetic acid to below the allowable limit. We will update you as we receive further results from Newark and the results of our own testing within the Township.

What is the Township of Nutley doing?

1. Expedited testing of the PUR water filter we purchased.
2. Started the replacement of all known lead service lines as part of our long term infrastructure upgrades.
3. Initiated a study to determine the steps needed to have the 436 homes receiving Newark water switched to a different water supplier.
4. Offering free testing of the tap water in any of the 436 homes receiving Newark Water.  Please call the Nutley Water Department at 973-284-4984 to find out how to have your water tested for lead.
5. Offering free testing of children (0-18) for lead by the Nutley Public Affairs Department (Health Department).  Contact Public Affairs at 973-284-4976 or your healthcare provider to find out how you can get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about lead exposure.

What can you do?

1. Continue to introduce the new corrosion control treatment into our water system by continuing to use all fixtures in your home – which includes showering, flushing toilets and washing dishes.
2. Run water for 1-2 minutes to introduce fresh water into your home before using, as noted above.
3. Identify and replace any lead plumbing fixtures and lead pipes in your home.
4. Do not boil water in an effort to reduce lead.  Boiling water will not reduce any potential lead.

If you have further questions, contact Dominic Ferry, our Licensed Water Operator, at 973-284-4984.

On Tuesday, May 7th, the City of Newark will implement new water treatment operations at the Valley Road Treatment Plant in Montclair. This represents a major commitment and capital infrastructure investment by the City of Newark to improve the quality of drinking water to their customers. This will have a positive impact on the water quality being delivered to the 436 homes in the western section of Nutley that receive City of Newark Water.

To enhance Newark’s efforts, Nutley will need to perform hydrant flushing along the Township’s large diameter water mains to further introduce the corrosion control treatment into the distribution system. While this type of flushing is usually performed during nighttime hours, in order to coordinate proper introduction of the treatment, the flushing will occur from 4:00pm-8:00pm.

Hydrant flushing may result in discolored water or minor drops in water pressure. This situation normally resolves itself once the flushing is completed for that day. Anyone experiencing discolored water is advised to run their taps until the water turns clear.
This initial treatment is meant to control corrosion and reduce lead levels in the Newark distribution system which also includes Bloomfield, Belleville, and Newark. It should be noted that Nutley has not experienced lead levels above federal guidelines in their mandatory tap water testing samples.

As you are aware, Nutley purchases water from two different water purveyors. The Nutley Water Department works constantly to improve water quality through regular maintenance and flushing, unfortunately these efforts cannot always overcome issues that arise in the source water from our suppliers. Over the next couple months, Nutley will continue to work with Newark Water as they introduce a new disinfection process to further improve the quality of water delivered to our residents.

If you have any questions please contact the Licensed Water Operator, Dominic Ferry at the Nutley Water Department. (973-284-4984).

Download: Letter to Newark Customers New Treatment Process - 5-9-19

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Nutley Water Department Has Levels of Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs)
Above Water Standards

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard.  Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation.  We are required to monitor drinking water for the presence of contaminants including disinfection byproducts (DBPs) on a quarterly basis.  The DBPs test results from the last monitoring period that ended on March 31, 2019 show that our system exceeds the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for haloacetic acids (HAA5).

The test results of HAA5 at location N-7 was 68.6 ppb and at location N-8 was 62.4 ppb.  These values exceed the HAA5 MCL of 60 micrograms per liter (ug/L).

What should I do?

• There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours.
• If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.

What does this mean?

This is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified within 24 hours. HAA5 are five haloacetic acid compounds which form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in the water.  *People who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.*

What is being done?

This is an issue with our source water supplier, Newark Water Department and their disinfection process.  When disinfectants are used in the treatment of drinking water, disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic and inorganic matter present in water to form DBPs.  Only a small section of Nutley receives its supply from the Newark Water Department.

According to Newark Water Department’s recent public notices, it is anticipated that the problem will be resolved within 3 to 6 months.  We have taken the following corrective action:

• Hydrant flushing in the affected areas was performed to introduce fresh water into the system.

For more information, please contact Dominic Ferry, Licensed Water Operator at (973) 284-4984 or dferry@nutleynj.org.

* Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*.

This notice is being sent to you by the Nutley Water Department.

State Water System ID#: NJ0716001.
Date distributed: April 22, 2019.

• Download: HAA5 Violation Public Notification 4-22-2019

Nutley Water Department

Newark Water Customers
436 Households

The City of Newark serves a small area of Nutley with Pequannock Reservoir Water. This area is located west of Ridge Road and Van Winkle Avenue and bordered by Glenview Road, the Township of Nutley/Bloomfield boundary line and East Passaic Avenue.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Nutley Water Department Has Levels of Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs)
Above Water Standards

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard.  Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation.  We are required to monitor drinking water for the presence of contaminants including disinfection byproducts (DBPs) on a quarterly basis.  The DBPs test results from the last four (4) quarters that ended on December 31, 2018 show that our system exceeds the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL) for haloacetic acids (HAA5).  MCL for HAA5 is calculated based on locational running annual average (LRAA) of samples collected from the last four (4) quarters at each sampling location for the past 12 months.

The LRAA of HAA5 at location N-7 is at 66.2 ppb and at location N-8 is at 66.7 ppb.  These values exceed the HAA5 MCL of 60 micrograms per liter (ug/L).

What should I do?

• There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours.
• If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.

What does this mean?

This is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified within 24 hours. HAA5 are five haloacetic acid compounds which form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in the water.  *People who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.*

What is being done?

This is an issue with our source water supplier, Newark Water Department and their disinfection process.  When disinfectants are used in the treatment of drinking water, disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic and inorganic matter present in water to form DBPs.  Only a small section of Nutley receives its supply from the Newark Water Department.

According to Newark Water Department’s recent public notice, it is anticipated that the problem will be resolved within 3 to 6 months.  We have taken the following corrective action:

• Hydrant flushing in the affected areas was performed to introduce fresh water into the system.

For more information, please contact Dominic Ferry, Licensed Water Operator at (973) 284-4984 or dferry@nutleynj.org.

* Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*.

This notice is being sent to you by the Nutley Water Department.
State Water System ID#: NJ0716001.
Date distributed: February 4, 2019.

Download: HAA5 Violation Public Notification 2-4-2019

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Haloacetic Acid 5 (HAA5) MCL Violation at Nutley Water Department

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did (are doing) to correct this situation.

We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Testing results from December 2018 show that our system exceeds the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for HAA5. The standard for HAA5 is 60 parts per billion (ppb).  The level of HAA5 at one of our system’s locations in December 2018 was 73.2ppb.

What should I do?

At this time, no alternative sources of water is necessary.  However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

What does this mean?

This is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified immediately.

HAA5 are five haloacetic acid compounds which form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in the water.

People who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

What Happened?  What is being done?

This is an issue with our source water supplier, Newark Water Department and their disinfection process.  When disinfectants are used in the treatment of drinking water, disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic and inorganic matter present in water to form disinfection byproducts.  Only a small section of Nutley receives its supply from the Newark Water Department.

We have taken the following corrective action(s):

• Hydrant flushing in the affected areas was performed to introduce fresh water into the system.

For more information, please contact Dominic Ferry, Licensed Water Operator at (973) 284-4984 or dferry@nutleynj.org.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by the Nutley Water Department.

State Water System ID#: NJ 0716001.

Date distributed: January 11, 2019.

Download: HAA5 Violation Public Notification 1-11-2019

DPW has received complaints of brown water on the streets surrounding Lakeside, Cleveland and Wharton. The contractor paving the streets may have opened a fire hydrant causing the brown water. All residents experiencing discolored water are asked to run their cold water for 10-15 minutes until the water runs clear. Avoid washing clothes until your water runs clear.

Once alerted of the break in the Newark Water Supply Line the Nutley Water Department responded quickly by opening up the interconnections with our other water suppliers.  This resulted in maintaining water pressure in the township’s supply lines.

We have been notified that Newark Water has repaired their supply line. We will begin to restore service back to Newark Water over the next couple of hours

There is a no/low water pressure on the southwest part of Town. This area is supplied by Newark Water Supply. They have a major break in their distribution system. The Nutley Water Department is working to restore water pressure as soon as possible. Further alerts will be issued as the day goes on.

NOTICE FROM THE NUTLEY WATER DEPARTMENT

Water service has been restored from the water main break on Franklin Avenue between Stager Street and Chase Street.

Please run water 5-10 minutes to clear any discoloration.  Thank you.

Issued by: Nutley Water Department
Date: August 30, 2017

NOTICE FROM THE NUTLEY WATER DEPARTMENT

Attention: There is a water main break on Franklin Avenue between Stager Street and Chase Street.  Residents and Businesses may experience discolored water and low water pressure.  The break should be repaired shortly and water pressure will be restored.  Please run water 5-10 minutes to clear any discoloration.  Thank you.

Issued by: Nutley Water Department
Date: August 30, 2017

NOTICE FROM THE NUTLEY WATER DEPARTMENT

Attention: There is a water main break near the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue south of Milton Avenue.  Residents may experience discolored water and low water pressure.  The break should be repaired shortly and water pressure will be restored.  Please run water 5-10 minutes to clear any discoloration.  Thank you.

Issued by: Nutley Water Department
Date: June 23, 2017

Dear Customer,

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations require that all public water systems issue an annual Water Quality Report. The intent of this regulation is to inform consumers about the source and quality of their drinking water, and to assemble this information in an easy to read format.

This is the 18th annual report on the quality of water delivered by the Township of Nutley. It meets the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirement for “Consumer Confidence Reports” and contains information on the source of our water, its constituents, and the health risks associated with any contaminants.

The purpose of this report is to provide our customers with information on the sources of their drinking water, how this water gets to each customer, potential substances that may be found in drinking water, some related health information, and a listing of the substances present in our water and how their levels compare to the state and federal drinking water regulations.

I am pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements. The Township of Nutley is committed to providing our customers and the community with high quality drinking water through prompt service, courteous and helpful communication, and excellence in the distribution of our most valued resource… water.

Mayor Dr. Joseph P. Scarpelli
Director of Public Works

Additional Information

The 2016 Water Quality Report will be mailed to all bill paying customers the week of June 13th.  Please see below link for the electronic PDF version.

If you have any questions concerning the Nutley Water Department, please kindly contact Dominic Ferry, Licensed Water and Sewer Operator at (973) 284-4984 or  dferry@nutleynj.org .

• Download: 2016 Water Quality Report
• To view prior years' reports - please visit www.nutleynj.org/water-quality-and-testing

NOTICE FROM THE NUTLEY WATER DEPARTMENT

Attention: There is a water main break near the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Raymond Avenue.  Residents may experience discolored water and low water pressure.  The breaks should be repaired shortly and water pressure will be restored.  Please run water 5-10 minutes to clear any discoloration.  Thank you.

Issued by: Nutley Water Department
Date: December 9, 2016

NOTICE FROM THE NUTLEY WATER DEPARTMENT

Attention: There is a water main break on Union Avenue between Park Avenue and Centre Street.  Residents may experience discolored water and low water pressure.  The breaks should be repaired shortly and water pressure will be restored.  Please run water 5-10 minutes to clear any discoloration.  Thank you.

Dear Customer,

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations require that all public water systems issue an annual Water Quality Report. The intent of this regulation is to inform consumers about the source and quality of their drinking water, and to assemble this information in an easy to read format.

This is the 17th annual report on the quality of water delivered by the Township of Nutley. It meets the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirement for “Consumer Confidence Reports” and contains information on the source of our water, its constituents, and the health risks associated with any contaminants.

The purpose of this report is to provide our customers with information on the sources of their drinking water, how this water gets to each customer, potential substances that may be found in drinking water, some related health information, and a listing of the substances present in our water and how their levels compare to the state and federal drinking water regulations.

I am pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements. The Township of Nutley is committed to providing our customers and the community with high quality drinking water through prompt service, courteous and helpful communication, and excellence in the distribution of our most valued resource… water.

Mayor Dr. Joseph P. Scarpelli
Director of Public Works

Additional Information

The 2015 Water Quality Report will be mailed to all bill paying customers the week of June 13th.  Please see below link for the electronic PDF version.

If you have any questions concerning the Nutley Water Department, please kindly contact Dominic Ferry, Licensed Water and Sewer Operator at (973) 284-4984 or  dferry@nutleynj.org .

• Download: 2015 Water Quality Report