Ridgewood Water Consumer Forum Tuesday, August 2 at 7:00 pm in
the Youth Center of Ridgewood Village Hall. Village Hall is located at 131 N. Maple Ave.,
Ridgewood. Space is limited, so please register by contacting Donna Omelianuk,
Ridgewood Water, at 201-670-5500 ext. 271 or by email at domelianuk@ridgewoodnj.net
Water Questions!
by Linda McNamara
After talking to many people and watching council meetings when the issues of Ridgewood Water have been discussed ( planning to attend tomorrow night’s meeting!) I was wondering if a card could go out to all the residents in the village as well as to the other towns who use Ridgewood Water with a list of things a home owner can/ should do in order to achieve the best quality of water for home use. I have talked to the water department directly and have received good in formation but a lot of us are still uncertain about what we should be doing. The following are concerns/ questions that have been brought to my attention:
1. How do I find out if my pipes are in need of replacement? I have heard that
there are still many houses with intake pipes that are targeted for replacement
but many of these people are unaware of this. Who pays for this?
2. Better advertisement of how you can get your water tested and the ability to
buy a kit at Village Hall with directions about how to complete the process.
3. I have read in the paper that charcoal filters are recommended for everyone
and if this is the case, what does that involve and what is it removing?
4. How long are we supposed to run our water before use? I have heard
any where from 30 seconds up to 20 minutes. An employee at the water
department suggested filling one’s bath tub and turning on the outside
faucet for several minutes.
5. Many residents are purchasing reverse osmosis units. Is this recommended
and what is this protecting us from?
6. Many residents are concerned about the high levels of chlorine in the water.
Can this be explained and is it permanent?
My biggest concern is that while the town is good about getting information out, unless it is sent to every resident and user of Ridgewood Water, there are many who will never see this information. I have heard concerns from people who actually are the most informed and they are unsure. Quality water is so important to every individual and a simple fact sheet( possibly something we could put on our refrigerator door!) would be of great service to all users of Ridgewood Water. Thank you so much for your attention to this important matter.