When you turn on the faucet in your kitchen are you confident the water is safe to drink? Ridgewood Water’s latest Water Quality Report reveals close to 20% of water samples tested exceed lead safety limits set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Due to the violation, the water company is undergoing a corrosion correction study aimed at reducing lead, other metals and minerals, which should improve overall water quality as well.
The annual report, released last week, shows lead levels in 11 of the 60 water samples tested in June 2012 exceeded 15 parts per billion (ppb), the federal action level for lead. The 90th percentile levels were 21.6 ppb, which is 6.6 ppb above the action level. The report notes that 1 ppb is “like one minute in 2,000 years or one penny in $10 million.” The previous samples, which were tested in 2009, revealed one out of 60 samples exceeded the limit.
An alert issued to all Ridgewood Water customers last October stated “trace amounts of lead have been found in RW’s source water (ground wells) and within the distribution center.” According to the NJDEP, these trace levels are minor and do not pose a public health threat or emergency.
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“This appears to be a minor issue and nothing of any real consequence,” NJDEP Spokesman Larry Ragonese told Midland Park Press. “There is evidence that lead is leaching into the system from older pipes and not from contaminants in the water supply.”
RW Manager Frank J. Moritz explained the company routinely monitors water from wells, distribution points and homes within the system. The higher lead levels are caused by corroded pipes, either in homes or in the Ridgewood Water infrastructure and service lines.
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Note: The full article details RW's Corrosion Correction Project and Timeline, as well as an update on the discovery of arsenic in the water supply in 2011.
