>Wyckoff officials criticize Ridgewood Water for poor communication of boil-water alert
Monday, March 29, 2010
BY CHRIS NESI
Wyckoff Suburban News
OF SUBURBAN NEWS
Wyckoff — A boil-water alert issued by Ridgewood Water to residents on several streets in the township was rescinded after samples that were tested for impurities came back negative, but township officials are taking the utility to task for what they called poor communication with residents.
Committeeman Brian Scanlan, who lives just outside the affected area, said Monday, March 29, that the utility’s communication with residents was insufficient.
Scanlan said he learned of the advisory from news reports and began calling people in the affected area. He said the people he spoke to told him they also heard about it from the news, but not directly from Ridgewood Water. He said he distributed fliers of his own door to door on the morning of Sunday, March 28.
“It became clear there had not been a direct communication between Ridgewood Water and their customers. They may have hit a portion of Goffle Road with the flier, but no one on the end of Ravine Avenue, Hopper Avenue or Ravine Court had gotten a phone call or a flier from them until after I started going door to door.”
Committeeman Kevin Rooney said March 29 that the township is “very disappointed” with Ridgewood Water.
“They had a really poor showing in Wyckoff as far as I’m concerned. Their track record has a lot to be desired.”
Frank Moritz, director of Ridgewood Water, said Monday that employees were sent door to door to hand-deliver fliers notifying residents of “about 100” homes in the affected area three times: once on Friday, March 26, once on Saturday, March 27, and again on Sunday, March 28, when the advisory was lifted. He said he was satisfied with the level of communication that took place.
“I don’t know how many times we can visit a house,” he said.
Scanlan said the fliers were put in people’s mailboxes on Sunday, limiting the likelihood of residents checking their mail.
“If they’re going to give out fliers, they should put them where people will see them — especially on Sundays. I wish they would use their heads a bit more,” he said.
According to the Ridgewood Water Web site, residents on Bush Lane, Goffle Road, Hopper Avenue, Ravine Court and Ravine Avenue were among those notified of a potential compromise in water quality following flow tests in downtown Ridgewood. An advisory was issued to boil water before using it for drinking or cooking.
During the test, an isolation valve was closed to direct water to flow along a specific pipe, and a hydrant was open to induce that flow, but no water came out, leading the utility to determine another isolation valve somewhere else in the system also must be closed.
According to a press release issued by Ridgewood Water, a loss of pressure can “create a host of potential problems with the potable quality of the water.”
By late afternoon on Sunday, March 28, the company reported “several anomalies” were discovered in the sample results. This prompted the utility to continue the alert and take additional samples.
At 9:45 p.m. Sunday, all samples were reported negative, and the boil-water alert was rescinded by the utility by 10 p.m.
On the Ridgewood Water Web site, an advisory remains for residents affected by the boil-water alert to run their water for three to five minutes to flush the plumbing and to empty and clean all ice makers and water chillers.
Scanlan said Mayor Rudolf Boonstra has suggested the Township Committee invite a representative of Ridgewood Water to attend its April 6 meeting to offer an explanation.
