Belleville Monitors Its Own Water As Newark Deals With Lead Woes

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville officials say they’re continuing to monitor the quality of water in the township in light of lead contamination that has been detected in Newark’s water supply.

On Thursday, township officials said there are no restrictions on Belleville residents in terms of drinking the tap water, and there is no reason to believe there are elevated levels of lead in the water the town receives from the Pequannock Reservoir.

Newark officials recently estimated as many as 15,000 homes served by the city’s Pequannock system may have contaminated drinking water. Affected residents are being advised to use bottled water until further testing is completed.

• See related article: Lead Crisis In Newark; Feds Say Use Bottled Water
• See related article: As Newark Grapples With Lead Crisis, What About Local Schools?

Belleville township engineer and water operator Tom Herits said that “most if not all” of the lead contamination that has been detected by state agencies in Newark is emanating from older residential (service line) pipes.

Herits said Belleville is required to test twice a year for lead and copper levels. During the most recent testing, the “overwhelming majority” of samples came back below the acceptable state- imposed levels.

As per Department of Environmental Production (DEP) guidelines, residents are encouraged to let the water run from the tap before drinking it or using it to cook if the faucet has gone unused for more than six hours, Herits said.

According to Herits:

“The longer the water resides in lead plumbing the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet for about 15 to 30 seconds. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking.”

Hertis pointed out that Newark recently tweaked treatment efforts in the city's Pequannock system, which will improve the quality of the water reaching Belleville.

A Newark city spokesperson previously said that Belleville, Bloomfield and Nutley – which purchase from Newark – will all benefit from the new treatment, which involves adding orthophosphate to the water. Towns that buy Newark's water on an emergency basis, such as East Orange and South Orange, will also benefit, officials said.

• See related article: Newark's New Way Of Fighting Lead Will Benefit Nearby Essex Towns
• See related article: Bloomfield Takes Hard Look At Water Filters: Are They Working?

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