Cloudy Water In Bloomfield? Here’s What Happened, Officials Say

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The City of Newark recently released a water advisory about “high turbidity” that also impacts Bloomfield. The issue – which can cause cloudy water – has no harmful health effects, officials said.

Several Essex County towns, including Bloomfield, buy water from Newark, which saw periods of high turbidity on Sept. 20, 25 and 26.

The Newark Water Department said it corrected the problem – a “valve failure” – on Sept. 26. Officials issued a statement about the issue, noting that turbidity and chlorine levels came back to normal ranges on Sept. 26 and met disinfection requirements.

Read the full advisory here.

Bloomfield town officials issued their own advisory about the issue on Wednesday:

“Bloomfield purchases its water from the City of Newark already treated and does not perform any treatment to the incoming water. This notice of non-compliance was caused by the treatment process performed by Newark at their Pequannock treatment plan. Therefore, Bloomfield had no control over these events of non-compliance. Though turbidity has no health effects, it can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth.”

“As a result of investments we have made in our infrastructure over the last several years, our water is safe and fully in compliance with all EPA regulations,” Mayor Michael Venezia said.

“We are notifying our residents of this irregularity in order to be as transparent and open as possible about our water, however, there is nothing to be concerned about,” Venezia added.

A similar notice was issued in Belleville earlier this week, which also purchases water from Newark.

• See related article: Bloomfield Continues Making Major Improvements To Water System

Newark’s issues with lead contamination – which are unrelated to the recent turbidity advisory – have begun to turn the corner, officials have reported.

The average lead levels in Newark's water have fallen below 15 parts per billion, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's benchmark of an "acceptable level," and the city has replaced the majority of its 18,000 aging, lead-lined service pipes, one of the main culprits of the contamination.

• See related article: Newark Lead Water Update: City Has Now Replaced 15,000 Pipes
• See related article: Newark's New Way Of Fighting Lead Will Benefit Nearby Essex Towns

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