’If Residents Are Unaware If They Have Lead Service Lines, They Are Encouraged To Let The Water Run From The Tap Before Drinking’
BELLEVILLE- Local officials are continuing to monitor the quality of water in the township in light of lead contamination that has been detected in Newark’s water supply.
Officials say there are no restrictions on Belleville residents in terms of drinking the tap water and there is no reason to believe there are elevated levels of lead in the water Belleville receives from the Pequannock Reservoir.
Township engineer and water operator Tom Herits said that most, if not all, of the lead contamination that has been detected by state agencies in Newark, is emanating from older residential (service line) pipes.
Herits said Belleville is required to test twice a year for lead and copper levels. During the most recent testing, the overwhelming majority of samples came back below the acceptable state-imposed levels.
As per Department of Environmental Production (DEP) guidelines, residents are encouraged to let the water run from the tap before drinking it or using it for cooking if the faucet has gone unused for more than six hours.
The longer the water resides in lead plumbing, the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet for about 15 to 30 seconds. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking.
Hertis said that Newark has very recently increased its water treatment efforts, which will only serve to improve the quality of the water reaching Belleville.