Brown Water Issue Runs Clear

New Jersey American Water spokesperson Richard Barnes said the NJAW has adjusted its treatment process in the last few days and that residents now were experiencing "alleviation" of brown water.

"We are getting fewer and fewer reports of brown water," said Barnes. Barnes couldn't describe that change in the process, other than it's being treated.

Barnes  said that NJAW gets "the go-ahead from the NJDEP" for any change in process and that NJAW "must meet the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act."

In the past two weeks, some residents in Essex County, including West Orange, have complained of tinged water. Millburn, Maplewood, Short Hills, Montclair and Irvington also were affected.

Barnes said the water never was dangerous to drink. "This is really an aesthic issue," he said.

— From staff reports