Ridgewood Water systems recently detected a fecal indicator, E. coli in a groundwater source sample in the low pressure zone, which includes portions of Ridgewood & Wyckoff and all of Glen Rock. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. On April 4, 2017, we collected a sample from a raw groundwater source before any treatment. The sample tested positive for E. coli.
Please note that water from this source is disinfected before distribution to customers, and no distribution system samples have tested positive for fecal indicators or any other bacteria.
What should I do? What does this mean?
• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
*Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.*
The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.
What is being done?
The source water well is shut down and 4-log inactivation of viruses is being installed as treatment. We will inform you when tests show no E. coli is present and when you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem before Friday, April 7th.
For more information, please contact Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5520 or 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07451. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. *
This notice is being sent to you by Ridgewood Water. State Water System ID#: NJ0251001
