Bloomfield Continues Making Major Improvements To Water System

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield’s multi-million-dollar march towards a better water infrastructure continues.

On Tuesday, Bloomfield municipal officials offered an update on the town’s ongoing water projects, which includes “major improvements” to its flow distribution system and the cleaning and lining of 6,000 linear feet of 12-inch water main, which is expected to be finished in the next three to five months.

According to officials, the recent work is the second part of a multi-phase program to clean the town’s water mains. Work includes stripping the inside of pipes to remove accumulated sediment and rust that has built up over decades within the water main, and lining them with a less-corrosive coating of cement.

As part of the project, Bloomfield plans to replace any lead service lines that are discovered with safer copper versions, officials said.

Lead service lines are the major suspected culprit behind Newark’s recent struggles with water contamination. As many as 18,000 homes in the city may have privately owned lead service lines. The city’s effort to fix the issue is expected to cost upwards of $120 million.

• See related article: Newark Replacing Lead Pipes In 18,000 Homes

In nearby Belleville – which purchases water from Newark along with Bloomfield and Nutley – replacing the town’s aging lead service pipes may cost up to $24 million, officials have estimated.

• See related article: Belleville Residents Drink 'Same Exact Water' As Newark, Mayor Says

Over the past four years, Bloomfield has spent $10 million on water improvement projects, officials said.

Some of the expenses include a newly launched home water meter restoration program that will “modernize all homes in town,” and which will be paid for entirely by the township at a cost of $4.5 million.

That effort was approved by the Township Council in May.

Soon, Bloomfield will begin construction on a $2.4 million water pumping station at the site of the old Getty station at East and West Passaic Avenue. The station will receive water from the Wanaque Reservoir, which is operated by the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission. It will be paid for with a loan from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank, officials said.

“This is a first and foremost a health initiative, which will eliminate exposure to any minimal amount of lead or rust that lived in older pipes,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said. “But this is also a capital investment because it will allow better water flow, and accompany our efforts to better detect leaks early, saving water and taxpayer dollars.”

Venezia also said the project will improve the efficiency of water flow and decrease the formation of bacteria and other contaminants such as haloacetic and trihalomethanes.

Residents with any questions about the township’s drinking water can call the Bloomfield Engineering Department at 973-680-4009.

• See related article: Bloomfield, Belleville, Nutley React To Newark Water Woes
• See related article: 3000 Water Filters In Bloomfield ‘Working As Expected’

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