Updated: Boil Advisory Lifted In Bloomfield, But Low Pressure Lingers

This article was updated at 9:57 p.m. on Oct. 10

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A boil advisory has been lifted in Bloomfield after last week’s major water main break in Essex County, town officials said Monday evening.

The fallout from Wednesday’s break in Nutley spurred a boil water advisory in Bloomfield and caused alerts in Newark, Montclair, Belleville and Glen Ridge. Bloomfield has been the only one of those municipalities to issue a boil water advisory so far. Read More: Large NJ Water Main Break Causes Boil Advisory, Service Issues (Update)

“We have taken samples from our water that have been sent to a lab, and we are waiting for the results,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia told Patch on Monday. “Once we get the results, we then have to send to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for approval to be taken off the boil water advisory.”

Meanwhile, some areas of town are still seeing low pressure as of Monday morning, Venezia said:

“Belleville Avenue south is seeing full normal water pressure. Belleville Avenue to Watchung Avenue is seeing good water pressure, but aren't at full normal levels. Watchung Avenue north to the Clifton border is seeing water pressure fluctuating between 40 and 50 pounds per square inch (PSI). Normal PSI levels are 70 and above.”

“We hope to have more updates as the day goes on,” the mayor added.

On Monday evening, Bloomfield officials announced that the boil water advisory has been lifted:

"The water sampling and testing completed by the township has confirmed the water is safe to drink and the requirement for boiling can be lifted," officials stated. "This has been approved by the NJDEP."

"However, the township has not yet returned to normal pressures so all residents are urged to conserve water," officials said.

Measures that Bloomfield residents can take include:

• No use of water for outdoor activities such as washing vehicles, watering lawns, washing down sidewalks or other similar activities that can be delayed until water is fully restored.
• Taking shorter showers.
• Only using appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines when they are fully loaded.
• Flushing toilets or bathroom fixtures only when necessary.

According to Bloomfield officials:

"These measures are also requested of our commercial and business customers. Urging your employees to limit water use is requested. Also reviewing any water dependent uses or processes your business may use and to determine ways to limit water use is greatly encouraged. Taking these measures will reduce water use as well as help maintain pressure within our distribution system. The township is currently working on major improvements to provide a more significant alternate source of water that will eliminate the current water pressure concern. We anticipate these measures will go into effect within the next 24 to 48 hours. Your cooperation during this difficult time is greatly appreciated so that we can provide safe and reliable water to all our customers over the next several days."

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WATER MAIN BREAK: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

The broken 74-inch water main, which is located in Nutley, is operated by the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission (NJDWSC), which oversees the largest regional water supply in the state of New Jersey. According to the NJDWSC website, contracting municipalities include Newark, Paterson, Kearny, Bayonne, Passaic, Wayne, Bloomfield, Clifton, Montclair, Nutley, Cedar Grove and Glen Ridge.

A spokesperson with the NJDWSC told Patch last week that crews have been on the job “around the clock” since the break took place, and have been working with local police and other public safety officials on traffic and other related issues.

“The exact reason for the compromise of the pipe is under investigation,” he added.

The break on the NJDWSC’s line also interrupted service on a separate Newark water main that runs next to it, Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller said last week.

Spiller said Sunday that the NJDWSC “seems to have made significant progress” and is “anticipating resolution in the very near future.” He added that it seems the leak has been located and sealed, and the agency is in the process of testing the lines and restoring water flow – which would likely take 24 to 48 hours.

Bloomfield town officials said the situation is "unprecedented," and affected three counties and more than 300,000 residents of North Jersey.

Montclair and Glen Ridge have each issued local states of emergency, asking residents to stop all “non-essential” use of water until the situation is fixed.

Amid the service issues, some towns have been helping their neighbors keep the water flowing, local officials say.

“Currently, we have connected our system with Cedar Grove and they are helping us with approximately 1,500 gallons per minute at this time,” Spiller of Montclair said last week.

“Additionally, by connecting to Verona’s system, we have added 800 gallons per minute. Clifton is assisting us with 1,000 gallons per minute,” the town’s mayor added. “New Jersey American Water Company – a private company – has been able to add 600 gallons per minute to our system to also assist.”

Last week’s water main break come on the heels of another major break that took place in August. That break – which originated in Belleville – caused boil water advisories that lingered for days in the town, as well as Newark and Bloomfield. Read More: Huge Water Main Break Wreaks Havoc In 3 Essex County Towns

PREVIOUS UPDATES IN BLOOMFIELD

Bloomfield officials released their first statement about the main break on Oct. 5. The message read:

“This is an advisory announcement from the Township of Bloomfield. Due to emergency water supply issues along the City of Newark supply lines, which provide water to the Township of Bloomfield, residents may experience little to no water pressure for a period of time. Water pressures remain normal at this time. The Bloomfield Water Department is currently working to make sure our water pressure remains normal by tapping into a water line with Passaic Valley Water Commission. No actions by Bloomfield Water customers are presently required. The township will provide updates on this situation as the work of both Bloomfield and the City of Newark progresses.”

Bloomfield officials issued an update later that day, which included a boil water alert:

“Due to emergency repairs presently being performed tonight on the City of Newark supply Lines to Bloomfield, residents of Bloomfield will experience low to zero water pressure beginning at 10 p.m. This work is expected to last from 8 to 10 hours upon before full water pressure is restored. You will be notified if this schedule changes. It is strongly recommended that in preparation of the shutdown, you fill pitchers and similar containers with water and place them in your refrigerator for cooking and consumption. Filling bathtubs and utility sinks with water is also recommended so that water is available for utility and cleaning purposes. Effective immediately and until further notice, Bloomfield water customers are instructed to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow the tap water to cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking; preparing foods; mixing baby formula, food, juices or drinks; washing vegetables and fruit; cooking; making ice; brushing teeth; and washing dishes until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Boiling water is required even if your residence or business does not experience low pressure and should continue after pressures return to normal until further notice.”

Another message came on Oct. 6:

“This is an update regarding the Bloomfield Water Emergency notification. The City of Newark continues to make repairs on their main supply line to Bloomfield. Some areas of the Township will continue to experience low pressure over the next several hours. If any residents are experiencing a full loss of water, please notify the Bloomfield Engineering Department at 973-680-4009. If lines are busy, please leave a message with your phone number and location and someone will return your call. You can also send an e-mail to engineering@bloomfieldtwpnj.com. As a precaution, a boil water advisory remains in effect for the entire township, even if you are not experiencing low pressure. Bloomfield Water customers are instructed to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow the tap water to cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking; preparing foods; mixing baby formula, food, juices or drinks; washing vegetables and fruit; cooking; making ice; brushing teeth; and washing dishes until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Boiling water is required even if your residence or business does not experience low pressure and should continue after pressures return to normal until further notice.”

A second update came later that day:

“This is an Emergency Announcement from the Township of Bloomfield. As indicated in previous notifications, due to a water main break on the City of Newark supply line, which required the City of Newark to shut down their supply lines to Bloomfield yesterday at 10 p.m., the township is under a boil water advisory. Where water pressure or service is either low or non-existent, water systems are required to sample and re-sample the water to verify that bacterial contaminants, such as e-coli, have not been introduced into the potable water system. Therefore, until further notice, all water used for consumption, brushing teeth and washing dishes should be boiled for at least 1 minute before use. Further information can be found on the township website or by calling the water department at 973-680-4009. Newark is presently working on the repair, and the township will continue to update residents through the website, our Cable TV Channels 35 on Comcast and 30 on FIOS, and through further telephone announcements.”

Bloomfield officials released another update on Oct. 7. It read:

“The Township just completed a call with NJDEP along with seven municipalities and three water utilities. This is an unprecedented water emergency involving a seventy-two-inch aqueduct controlled by the North Jersey District Water Commission, and a forty-eight and forty-two-inch aqueduct controlled by Newark Water Supply. This unprecedented event has affected three counties and over three hundred thousand residents in several municipalities. We are in contact and coordination with all affected municipalities and agencies. Initially, this was supposed to be a six-hour repair in which the township tapped into our backup lines with Passaic Valley Water Commission and North Jersey Water Supply. We will be tapping into the North Jersey Water supply and Passaic Valley water Commission today to be able to increase water pressure to certain parts of the township. Unfortunately, repairs of this magnitude are taking a lot longer than anticipated and we hope to have more answers by this evening about when the completion repairs of these three aqueducts.”

Bloomfield officials added:

“If any residents are experiencing a full loss of water, please notify the Bloomfield Engineering Department at 973-680-4009. If lines are busy, please leave a message with your phone number and location and someone will return your call. You can also send an e-mail to engineering@bloomfieldtwpnj.com. As a precaution, a boil water advisory remains in effect for the entire township, even if you are not experiencing low pressure. Bloomfield Water customers are instructed to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow the tap water to cool before using, for drinking; preparing foods; mixing baby formula, food, juices or drinks; washing vegetables, and fruit; cooking; making ice; brushing teeth; and washing dishes until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Boiling water is required even if your residence or business does not experience low pressure and should continue after pressures return to normal until further notice.”

The multi-agency/town effort continued on Oct. 7, Bloomfield officials said:

“The Township continues ongoing coordination with NJDEP representatives and three other water utilities. This unprecedented event has affected three counties and over three hundred thousand residents in several municipalities. As of right now the township and the Newark Water System are waiting for repairs to be done to the North Jersey Water Commission line before Newark can proceed with the issues that are affecting Bloomfield. Initially, this was supposed to be a six-hour repair in which the township temporarily tapped into our backup lines with Passaic Valley Water Commission. We will continue to establish these connections over the next several hours including the construction of a permanent interconnection. The permanent interconnection is expected to be operational within two to three days, depending on field conditions. The establishment of this interconnection should provide acceptable and reliable pressures until such time that we are reconnected to the Newark Water System. If any residents are experiencing a full loss of water, please notify the Bloomfield Engineering Department at 973-680-4009. If lines are busy, please leave a message with your phone number and location and someone will return your call. You can also send an e-mail to engineering@bloomfieldtwpnj.com. As a precaution, a boil water advisory remains in effect for the entire township, even if you are not experiencing low pressure. Bloomfield Water customers are instructed to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow the tap water to cool before using, for drinking; preparing foods; mixing baby formula, food, juices, or drinks; washing vegetables, and fruit; cooking; making ice; brushing teeth, and washing dishes until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Boiling water is required even if your residence or business does not experience low pressure and should continue after pressures return to normal until further notice.”

Bloomfield town officials issued another update on Oct. 8:

“The Township continues the ongoing coordination with NJDEP (NJ Department of Environmental Protection) and the three water utilities regarding the ongoing water emergency. The Township has established two emergency interconnections with the Passaic Valley Water Commission - one in Nutley and one in Clifton - have resulted in stable water pressures within our system. In addition to this, the Township continues to work on a new emergency interconnection with Passaic Valley at Garrabrant Avenue. We are also in contact with the NJDEP Potable Water Division to coordinate water sampling of our distribution system with the goal of releasing us from the Boil Water requirement. If any residents continue to experience full loss of water, please notify the Bloomfield Engineering Department at 973-680-4009. If lines are busy, please leave a message with your phone number and location and someone will return your call. You can also email at engineering@bloomfieldtwpnj.com. We ask that until this is fully resolved residents conserve water usage during this unprecedented emergency. As a precaution, a boil water advisory remains in effect for the entire township, even if you are not experiencing low pressure.”

Mayor Michael Venezia gave another update via social media on Sunday. He wrote:

“We have been working with the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection and we have started taking samples to be sent to the lab for approval to get off a boil water advisory. The samples were taken this morning and we hope to hear news tomorrow. I know you are frustrated. I and the council are as well. Initially when our water was switched over from the Newark Water Supply to North Jersey and Passaic Valley (our backup systems) at our Garrabrant Avenue interconnection our water pressure dropped under 20 PSI which under state regulations requires us to be under boil water advisory. We are now consistently seeing our PSI between 40-50 (regular PSI is 70). I have been in communication with Governor [Phil Murphy], Congresswoman [Mikie Sherrill], our County Executive [Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.] and other elected officials about this situation. As far as the 72-inch aqueduct that is operated North Jersey Water, the Army Corps of Engineers are now on site assessing the situation. We do not have an ETA on the fix for this. This water line provides water directly to Glen Ridge and Montclair -- not to Bloomfield. These are two separate and distinct issues, which shows the magnitude of this water emergency. We have another conference call with the DEP this afternoon and I hope to have more updates later today/tonight.”

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