Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld says NO Lead in the Drinking Water
January 5th 2015
Dear E-Notice Residents,
It has come to our attention that the public education notice regarding lead test results has created concern among some of the residents in our service area. Please be aware that the language in the notice is prescribed by regulation and may cause undue concern.
The water supplied by Ridgewood Water does not have lead in it. A small number of homes in the Ridgewood Water service territory have plumbing materials that can leach lead into the water which caused an exceedance of the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for lead during routine testing in 2012. Regulatory agencies require that water utilities test for lead by setting up “worst-case-scenarios” at locations at increased risk such as those known to have lead service lines. Additionally, the samples taken for testing must be water that has been undisturbed and in contact with the household plumbing for at least 6 hours. These samples are usually taken in the morning before any water has been used including the flushing of toilets. Therefore, samples are usually collected by residents. Each participating resident received the test results for their specific location.
Additionally, virtually every faucet has brass components that contain a percentage of lead. This is why it is prudent to let a faucet run for several seconds before using the water for cooking and drinking, especially if the faucet has not been used for several hours. If your service line is made of lead, run the water for a longer period to clear all of the water from the service line. Please call 201-670-3372 if you are unsure of your service line material.
Ridgewood Water will start using a phosphate-based additive later this year that will also address this issue by coating the lines and faucets effectively stopping the leaching of lead into the water.
There will be a presentation at the Council Meeting this Wednesday that will provide a forum for additional questions and answers. You may also watch it on TV. You are invited to attend and voice your concerns at that point or you may call Ridgewood Water at201-670-5500 ext. 273 or 275.
Best Regards,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
Most resident drink bottled water and eat out. Whats the problem?
Most residents do not eat out and buy bottled water on a daily basis. Also 47% of bottled water is tap water.
well, well, yeah o k .
There’s no lead, because I said so. Maybe it’s time to hire an expert and assemble a blue ribbon panel to study this. Meanwhile, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.