The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
“According to the latest mailing, “Ridgewood Water has been aware of PFOA and PFOS detections and has sought to educate our customers for years…” So shame on me that I finally realized that we have been paying to be poisoned. We have been and will be forced to pay this Village owned company for its contaminated and unsafe water.”
Continue reading Reader says , “Don’t drink Ridgewood Water’s kool-aide”
photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, on October 5th ,Ridgewood Water gave a presentation on PFOS/PFOA :
Continue reading Ridgewood Water Virtual Information Session on PFOS/PFOA in the Drinking Water
One of the most important aspects that you have to be mindful of when maintaining your home is your plumbing. The plumbing runs all throughout your home, and any trouble or problems with it could lead to significant costs in repairs and damages. One solution you need to consider for certain problems is relining, as this can ensure your pipes are usable for the foreseeable future. Here are some reasons you might need your pipes relined.
Continue reading Reasons Why You Might Need to Get Your Pipes Relined
First of all, relax, this is really not as technical as it sounds. You don’t have to get a degree in “water safety measures” to be able to check the safety status of your drinking water; you just need to read a lot of reports.
Continue reading Is Your Drinking Water Safe? Here Are 6 Ways To Find Out
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water customers will be receiving a Public Notification Supplement in the mail. A copy can also be accessed HERE. Should Ridgewood Water customers have any questions, please feel free to contact Customer Service at (201)-670-5520.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
South River NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that the former licensed operator of the South River Water Department, the public drinking water system for South River Borough in Middlesex County, pleaded guilty today to submitting false water samples and records to a lab that tests such samples for coliform bacteria for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Robert Baker, 57, of Mine Hill, N.J., pleaded guilty today to a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, a third-degree crime, before Superior Court Judge Benjamin S. Bucca Jr. in Middlesex County. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Baker be sentenced to 364 days in the county jail and a term of probation. Baker was suspended from his position after he was charged, and he later resigned. He is permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24, but Baker was immediately remanded to custody today to begin serving time in the county jail.
Its all about the money while local polluters are ignored NJDEP goes after deep pockets .
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Clean Water Aciton praised NJDEP announcement today identifying 5 chemical companies — Solvay, DuPont, Dow DuPont, Chemours and 3M — as “responsible for extensive contamination and directing them to fund millions of dollars in assessment and cleanup efforts” (see NJDEP release embedded below).
Continue reading NJDEP Goes after 5 Chemical Companies for Millions of Dollars Due to Contamination
“I live along the River in Saddle River and have been complaining to our Mayor and Administrator about this for over 1 year now. Al Kurpis the Mayor of Saddle River has no interest in protecting our wells. He has done nothing to help protect the residents of Saddle River’s who live along the river, He actually told Upper Saddle River Residents he was too busy with the Town Election in 2018 to get involved, to reach out after June and to date has done nothing to keep the residents water safe in our town. In fact in the last few years he was working on a plan to sell our Water to Suez…Crazy Idea that was, thank goodness we had a few council members who saw the potential impact of that on our town. The DEP actually permitted this project allowing them to pump the contaminated water into the Pleasant Brook which flows into The Saddle River…Someone at the DEP needs their heads examined. “
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
GLEN ROCK NJ , Following the tests of elevated lead in the water as reported by NJ.com on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), once again, called for immediate action to address the threat of lead in our drinking water and the serious risks it poses for children and families in the local community.
SUEZ, a major private water utility in the state, said Wednesday they found water samples from multiple customers of its Haworth have shown elevated levels of lead. SUEZ said that 57 municipalities in Bergen and Hudson counties are affected by the tainted water.
Continue reading Gottheimer Calls on State, SUEZ to Address Lead in Water
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Customers and interested members of the community are invited to attend any of the scheduled events to learn more about Ridgewood Water’s regular maintenance, system upgrades, and compliance with new and evolving regulations for drinking water, including Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). PFAS are man-made chemicals that are found to be widespread and extremely persistent in the environment.
Ridgewood Water’s professional staff and technical experts will be on hand to provide information and answer questions about what the utility is doing to provide customers with reliable, quality drinking water.
PFOA & PFOS
July 5,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On May 25th the USEPA released an updated health advisory on Perfluorinated chemicals in drinking water. The advisory Is not a regulation or enforceable, but meant to be guide for water purveyors such as Ridgewood Water to take action to protect their consumers. The advisory established lower limits on these chemicals than had previously been set. As a result Ridgewood Water determined that one facility was above the new limit. The facility was shut down pending the results of new test samples taken at the facility. The results of the latest tests indicate that the blended output of the facility at its point of entry has levels below the limit. The facility will be restarted if system demand requires us to boost production. The output will be tested monthly to ensure that PFOA and PFOS remain at safe levels. To further reduce concentration, Ridgewood Water will evaluate the feasibility of installing treatment for the removal of these chemicals.
For additional information please visit:
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking-water-health-advisories-pfoa-and-pfos
![dr-strangelove1[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/dr-strangelove11.jpg "Ridgewood Water does not add fluoride to your drinking water")
July 1,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water does not add fluoride to your drinking water.Water hardness in our service area is 14 grains or 250ppm.
If your water is discolored, (gray, brown, yellow, orange) this is most likely due to minerals building up in our water mains. These minerals are harmless, but as more people start watering their lawns and turning on sprinkler systems, these minerals can loosen and end up in the water supply. This discoloration can also occur when Ridgewood Water does routine maintenance on it’s facilities that increases the velocity in the mains. Although it is aesthetically unappealing, it is safe to drink. We recommend avoiding doing laundry until discoloration clears.
If your water has a cloudy or milky appearance this is usually caused by air dissolved in the water. We recommend to take a glass of cold water from the tap and set it on a flat surface. If the water begins to clear from the bottom up within a few minutes, it can be concluded that dissolved air is the cause of the cloudiness. If the water does not clear up or you notice particles settling on the bottom of the glass please contact our treatment facility at 201-670-5526 and notify them of your issue.
If your water has a unusual taste or odor, please contact our treatment facility at 201-670-5526.
Ridgewood Water does not make recommendations as to water filters or softeners.
6:04 p.m. ET June 24, 2017
New Jersey’s almost 9 million residents make this state denser than India or Japan. And the population is projected to grow to 10.2 to 10.4 million by 2040. Will we have enough water for our residents, farmers, businesses, industries — and the environment — now and in the future?
That question is front and center following the release of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s draft 2017-2022 update of the New Jersey Statewide Water Supply Plan — the first update in 21 years.
file photo by Boyd Loving
The underground infrastructure carrying water, sewerage, gas and electricity is essential to the lives of every business and person in the state, yet it is in a horrendous state of disrepair. As the owner of a real estate firm that secures underground easements for some of the state’s largest utility companies, I can say with confidence that our underground infrastructure is at a breaking point. If we do not invest in upgrading our underground infrastructure, it will only be a short matter of time before a critical infrastructure failure leads to a public health and safety crisis.
As an example, water suppliers estimate that New Jersey loses 33 percent of drinking water each year just through old, leaking underground pipes. This is enough clean water to fill several reservoirs. However, the few times that our underground infrastructure receives any media attention is during “large-scale” catastrophes, such as when a water main bursts, a blackout occurs, a gas pipeline explodes — or worse, we find dangerous levels of lead in our water supply.
If we do not act on improving our water infrastructure, we risk a lead-water crisis similar to that experienced by the businesses and residents of Flint, Michigan. Only after public outcry and national media attention, the U.S. Congress approved emergency infrastructure funds totaling $170 million in September 2016 to begin critical work on Flint’s lead-contaminated water delivery system. Similarly, New Jersey has water infrastructure the same age or older than Flint. We must find the means to fix New Jersey’s aging water systems before they degenerate from bad to worse.
The cost of repairs is enormous, but the cost of inaction is far greater. According to the Water Research Foundation, funding water and wastewater upgrades around the country could cost $650 billion over the next 20 years. However, as these small- and large-scale problems become more commonplace it is incumbent on our state’s elected officials and decision makers to work with our utility providers and begin crafting comprehensive plans to fix New Jersey’s hidden infrastructure. Smart infrastructure improvements now will benefit ratepayers, create jobs and generate greater investment in our state from the business community.
The New Jersey Utilities Association noted that over the past five years, six companies have spent nearly $2 billion on water delivery system upgrades. This is a good start as these infrastructure investments already have created thousands of new jobs and pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into New Jersey’s economy, all while improving utility delivery to end users.
Now the Joint Legislative Task Force on Drinking Water is diving head first into ways we can address our drinking water issues. With the Legislature and governor coming together with the business and labor community to support an increase in the gas tax that ultimately put the state’s Transportation Trust Fund on solid financial footing, I believe that the timing is right for our residents, business leaders, labor unions, and elected officials from the governor down to local mayors and council members to join together and work on a comprehensive plan to revitalize our water utility infrastructure.
The time to invest is now. Our public health and welfare depends on it.
Stacie Curtis
Founder and President
CW Solutions
JENNIFER COFFEY AND TIM DILLINGHAM | FEBRUARY 27, 2017
With 14 counties under drought warning, the governor must release the Water Supply Plan — whether it’s ready or not
Jennifer Coffey and Tim Dillingham
With the beginning of the new calendar year, New Jersey has entered its third consecutive year of drought, with 14 counties remaining under an official drought-warning status. While winter rains and snow are helping drinking-water reservoirs refill, the drought warning remains. In six weeks, spring will bring blooming flowers, growing lawns, warmer temperatures, and increasing demands for water. Increasing demands for clean water during a time of drought in the most densely populated state in the nation is why, despite what one prominent scientist has recently written, we desperately need an updated Water Supply Plan for the Garden State.
Gov. Chris Christie’s failure to release an update to the State Water Supply Plan is threatening New Jersey’s supply of clean, fresh drinking water. On Earth Day 2015, in April, the New Jersey Senate Legislative Oversight Committee held a hearing at which experts testified on the need for an updated Water Supply Plan. Our current plan is 21 years old and 16 years overdue for an update. Committees in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature have passed resolutions directing the governor to release the draft plan immediately, yet amidst a drought warning, there is still no sign of the plan.
The Water Supply Plan works as an accounting checkbook for New Jersey’s water supplies. The goal is to ensure that we have enough clean water for residents, businesses, power production, farming, and the environment for this and future generations. The master plan includes recommendations for balancing the diverse demands on the water supply with the amount of water that replenishes the sources of that water — precipitation that feeds our shared streams, rivers, and underground water sources known as aquifers.
