Important Information About Lead in Your Drinking Water - July 8, 2020
Posted July 08, 2020The Belleville Water Department (BWD) found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings. Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.
This notice is being distributed to you and all customers of the BWD as a regulatory requirement. Under the Code of Federal Regulations for the Control of Lead and Copper, 40 CFR Part 141 Subpart I, BWD is required to routinely sample for lead and copper at a minimum number of locations based on the population served.
The 90th percentile value for our water system is greater than the lead action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb). The action level is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.
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What Happened? What Is Being Done?
The BWD (BWD) has identified approximately 5,500 lead services throughout its service area, and, has updated its sampling plan to monitor high risk residences. The BWD purchases treated surface water from the City of Newark. Newark has recently changed the corrosion control treatment, which should, over time, reduce the lead dissolving from lead service lines into the drinking water. Newark’s previous method of corrosion control treatment has failed, and, is slowly being phased out. The BWD has increased its water quality parameter monitoring to evaluate the effects of the new corrosion control treatment. Moreover, the BWD is required to send a corrosion control treatment recommendation to the NJDEP. The BWD is also required to conduct a corrosion control study to evaluate alternatives in the event that Newark’s actions do not reduce lead levels for the 90th percentile result in the BWD to below the lead action level of 15 ppb. The BWD continues to sample for lead and copper at our interconnections with the City of Newark. In addition, the BWD is planning a lead service line replacement program in conjunction with future watermain relining projects. Finally, the BWD is continuing public education about lead in drinking water.