Months After E.Coli Found In Water, Edison Residents Seek Answers

EDISON, NJ — Edison Water Watch, a citizen’s group, is seeking answers from Edison Water Utility (EWU) months after the E.Coli outbreak in the water supply.

The group, created by the South Edison Community Association (SECA), said they were concerned about water safety, and had approached EWU Director Robert Smith for answers, but haven’t received a satisfactory response.

“That’s unacceptable. Our citizens’ group has tried for months to get answers to basic questions about the E.coli outbreak on Oct.1,” said Dawn Santana, chairperson, Water Watch.

“We want to know why Edison took four days to alert homeowners about this contamination and issue a boil-water advisory. A four-day delay poses an unnecessary health risk,” she said.

Edison officials issued a "boiling water alert" on Oct. 6, 2020, after E.Coli was detected in the water. Officials said they collected a sample from the distribution system on Oct. 1, 2020 which tested positive for E.Coli.

Read More Here: Officials Issue Alert After E.Coli Found In Edison Water Utility

The SECA prepared a list of questions for EWU, but said officials refused to share public information.

When contacted, Edison officials dismissed the claims, saying they acted "promptly," and within the timeframe.

“The sample was collected on Oct.1 a Thursday. There’s a 24-hour incubation time for the sample. I was notified on Saturday and we immediately jumped into the action, by collecting a repeat sample on Sunday,” said Smith, director of Edison Water Utility.

According to Smith, after collecting a repeat sample on Sunday, the lab ran tests after the 24-hour incubation period, and on Tuesday Oct. 6, received a positive test. That’s when Edison Water Utility released a boil water alert for customers, he said.

Smith said the boil water advisory was just "precautionary," as the water in only one building tested positive for E.Coli, while the surrounding buildings passed the test.

“The E.Coli outbreak was contained in one building, I guess it wasn’t the cleanest of facilities,” said Smith.

But SECA members also expressed concern about the frequent water main breaks since the E.Coli outbreak.

“There have been frequent water main breaks as well. As concerned residents, we just seek answers from Edison Water Utility,” said Anthony Russomanno, a member of the SECA.

"We just want to know whether the E. coli bacteria was found near water main/water line break and where else was a water sample taken,” said Russomanno.

According to Smith, EWU also found issues with the laboratory’s “sampling techniques,” which he says could have contributed to the problems.

“We have a contract with a laboratory to collect samples and test them. The gentleman collecting samples was not wearing gloves or sanitizing the spigots that he was taking samples from. Since we found out, we have been escorting them to each location and making sure they're following the right protocols,” he said.

Smith said Edison Water Utility has now hired a new laboratory to conduct water testing.

But the question residents are asking, still remains - Is the water in Edison safe to drink?

“A 100 percent,” said Smith. “There was no issues with the water whatsoever, and we buy all our water from American Water, and Middlesex water.”

Meanwhile, SECA's Water Watch hopes that EWU finds a more permanent solution to their water woes, than the "temporary bypass measures" they've been adopting.

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