Full Notification

A MESSAGE FROM MAYOR JOHN M. KRENZEL

MAYOR'S STATEMENT ON DISCOLORED WATER

July 15, 2019

Because of the discolored water situation in South River that affected a large area in the town on Sunday, July 14, 2019, an emergency meeting of professionals and town employees was held about the situation on Monday, July 15, 2019. Now everyone knows that a meeting does not solve a problem but it is good to define a problem. The discolored water is being caused by something and that something must be addressed.

The meeting was a tutorial on how water pipes work. To very simplify, water passes through the pipes. It leaves sediment in the pipes. That sediment can clog the pipes which is why twice a year the fire hydrants are opened, the water and sediment rushes out, and the neighborhood has discolored water for a few hours.

When anything disturbs the pipes, the pipes release the sediment and the water becomes discolored. The opening of a fire hydrant, fighting a fire, heavy truck traffic, a broken pipe can all disturb the pipes.

So, what happened on Sunday the 14th? At the meeting, the professionals and staff discussed the reasons for the discolored water and why was the water discolored throughout the town. Normally, if the water is discolored, it happens on a course that follows the town's oldest water pipe from the Department of Public Works down Whitehead Avenue, up Reid and Prospect Streets and all the side streets from them. On the 14th, the discoloration was everywhere.

There are several reasons. One was that there was heavy use of water during the weekend: "Heavy" as in hundreds of thousands of gallons more than usual. This would have disturbed the pipes throughout the town. Why so much water was used no one could say. Another reason would be the DEP tearing down houses for the Blue Acres program and opening fire hydrants at full blast to spray the demolition sites to keep down the dust.

All this is well and good but what can be done? Two tracks were set: the "Now" and the "Future".

For now, the how we obtain water will be reset to a time when there was little discoloration. We have been pulling more water from our pumps (hence the problem in the Heritage Hills and Landing areas) than we have done in the past. We will take more water from East Brunswick and less from our wells. This will return the water system to what it was.

Also, we will not open fire hydrants at full blast. If there is a problem with discoloration, a fire hydrant would be opened but not fully opened. This would take more time and more water to clear the water but would not upset the sediment in other parts of the system.

Of course, nothing is simple. On Monday, July 15th, a valve broke in the Center Street/Union Avenue area which shook up the system and has caused discoloration. Hopefully, by tomorrow,

the system will quiet down and the water should become clear. If it is not clear by Thursday, another plan will have to be looked at.

As to the future track, our consultant will look at the water utility and make recommendations. Before that, we are looking at possible iron buildup and the pumps. The iron is what gives the water its discoloration.

The DEP has received complaints and has strongly recommended a "Dirty Water Advisory" be issued by the town. This means that as the water clears, you should run water faucets for 3-5 minutes to flush the service connection and interior plumbing. Also, empty and clean automatic ice makers and water chillers. There is no need to boil the water as recent bacteria tests were all negative.

This is a top priority. Any long term solution will take time and money but whatever it costs, the water will be clean.

Mayor John M. Krenzel