Newark’s Changes At Montclair Water Plant May Benefit Bloomfield

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The quality of Bloomfield’s drinking water – which is purchased from Newark – may be about to get a boost due to new water treatment operations in Montclair, officials said.

According to a news release from Bloomfield municipal officials, the City of Newark will implement “new water treatment operations” at the Valley Road treatment plant in Montclair on Tuesday, May 7.

“This represents a major commitment and capital infrastructure investment by the City of Newark to reduce lead levels throughout their water distribution system as well as those of their municipal customers such as Bloomfield, Belleville and Nutley,” officials stated.

• See related article: Newark's $75M Solution For Water Woes Moves Forward
• See related article: Newark Mayor On Lead In Water Reports: 'We're Not Flint'

Mayor Michael Venezia said that Bloomfield purchases all its water from Newark.

“This new treatment operation, we are told, will have a positive impact on Bloomfield’s drinking water quality,” Venezia said. “We will continue to work with Newark Water to get the best possible quality of water for our residents.”

Patch reached out to Newark city officials for comment on the new water treatment operations, as well as the affected towns. We will include any reply we receive in this article.

Once the new treatment is operational, Bloomfield workers will perform hydrant flushing along the township’s large diameter water mains to further introduce the corrosion control treatment into the distribution system, officials said.

Bloomfield officials said that while this type of flushing is performed annually during nighttime hours, in order to coordinate proper introduction of the treatment, this year the flushing will occur on Wednesday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

According to Bloomfield officials:

“Hydrant flushing may result in discolored water or minor drops in water pressure. This situation normally resolves itself once the flushing is completed for that day. Anyone experiencing discolored water is advised to run their taps until the water turns clear. If the discolored water continues for more than two days, residents are encouraged to contact the Bloomfield Engineering Department at 973-680-4009.”

• See related article: Bloomfield Hands Out Water Filters After Tests Show Elevated Lead
• See related article: Bloomfield Struggles With Water Contamination (What Comes Next?)
• See related article: Bloomfield's Water From Newark Has Elevated Acid Level

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