Bloomfield Takes Hard Look At Water Filters: Are They Working?

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — When it comes to water contamination, the fates of Bloomfield residents are linked to their neighbors in Newark, officials say… for now.

Fresh on the heels of Newark’s announcement that thousands of free water filters may be coming up short helping the city cope with its ongoing lead contamination issues, Bloomfield officials are taking a new look at their own program.

On Sunday, Bloomfield officials announced that the city – which buys its water from Newark – is beginning a “comprehensive test” of its own filters to see if they’re functioning properly.

The township began handing out free filters in November 2018 after a test of 61 homes found 16 had elevated levels of lead and exceeded the "action level" of 15 parts per billion established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Most of the lead build-up was traced to the inside of homes, not the township's water mains, Bloomfield officials said.

• See related article: Bloomfield Hands Out Water Filters After Tests Show Elevated Lead

It’s a similar situation to Newark, where thousands of homes likely have lead-contaminated service lines, one of the suspected culprits of the problem.

Last weekend, Gov. Phil Murphy and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said that after getting a letter from the EPA that questioned the effectiveness of the filters, the city will be handing out free bottled water to affected residents in the Pequannock service area.

• See related article: Feds Say Use Bottled Water In Newark, Filters Unreliable

It was an announcement that set off ripples in Bloomfield, where officials will be testing filters at homes that previously had higher than allowable lead levels. The township also plans to make filter testing available to any of the 3,000 residents who have received them.

Residents can sign up for testing by calling 973-680-4009, Bloomfield officials said.

“While lead levels in Bloomfield have never tested nearly as high as those in Newark, we still took the proactive step of distributing water filters to thousands of residents and it is very disturbing to learn that some of those filters may not be working as intended,” Mayor Michael Venezia said. “Everyone has a right to safe, clean drinking water and I want our community to rest assured that we will do whatever is necessary to ensure that this is the case here in Bloomfield.”

According to a statement from the township, Bloomfield has taken “decisive action” to protect residents from lead in the past year:

• The township has replaced water service lines at 30 homes that were known to have tested positive for lead previously and recently received a $1.1 million state loan to replace many more
• The township has also begun a comprehensive water main cleaning project throughout town to remove sediment from water main lines

Additionally, changes made by Newark in May have positively impacted Bloomfield, officials said. Those improvements included putting a "safe additive" called orthophosphate into the water, which will help to reduce lead levels.

• See related article: Newark's New Way Of Fighting Lead Will Benefit Nearby Essex Towns

On Sunday, Bloomfield officials gave an update on the effects of the new treatment program:

“Recent test results of Bloomfield households revealed improved testing levels, and township officials remain hopeful that further improvements in the Newark system can be expedited.”

In the long run, however, Bloomfield may be better off if it gains water independence from Newark, municipal officials said.

“Officials have held numerous community meetings to discuss the issue and the township is now working to install a new water interconnection that will remove Bloomfield from the Newark water system. Mayor Venezia has sent a request to meet directly with the state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe to assist Bloomfield in addressing the township’s concerns with Newark’s water system.”

“While we are working towards the goal of no longer relying on Newark’s water system, at this point we remain a direct user of the system and thus we are always concerned whenever there is a problem with that system,” Venezia said. “I am hopeful that the state DEP can provide whatever assistance is needed in addressing the current concerns as well as expediting our efforts to install our new water supply system.”

The Township of Bloomfield will hold a public forum on Monday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Civic Center at 84 Broad Street to address the issue.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Bloomfield Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com