DRINKING WATER WARNING BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING

Water delivered by PVWC may not be safe to drink.

Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) has issued a boil water advisory for customers near New Street Reservoir, encompassing Passaic, Paterson, parts of Clifton and parts of Woodland Park. (New St, Hugo Ave, Mountain Ave and Wilson Ave) (See Map).

Due to excessive run-off in the water system resulting from remnants of Hurricane Ida, it has been determined that water may not be safe for consumption as of 9/2/2021. A potential or actual threat to the quality of water being provided to you currently exists.  As a precaution, we are implementing system wide Boil Water Advisory until testing of the water supply is deemed satisfactory.

What Should I do? What does this mean to me?

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AND UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST OR USE BOTTLED WATER. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking; preparing foods; mixing baby formula, food, juices or drinks; washing vegetables and fruit; cooking; making ice; brushing teeth; and washing dishes until further notice.  Bring all water to a rolling boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Ice or any beverages prepared with tap water after 9/1/2021 should be discarded.

The following measures are also recommended:

• Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes made with tap water during the day of the advisory;
• Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking;
• Do not swallow water while showering or bathing;
• Rinse hand-washed dishes with a diluted bleach solution (one tablespoon of household bleach per gallon of tap water) or clean your dishes in a dishwasher using the hot wash cycle and dry cycle;
• Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water; most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from microorganisms;
• Use only boiled water to treat minor injuries;
• Provide pets with drinking water that has been boiled (and cooled).

Home treatment devices that do not boil or chemically disinfect the water with acceptable disinfectants are not considered reliable alternatives to boiling the water.

What is being done?

The crossover valve is being manually operated to prevent any contaminated water from leaving the reservoir. During this time the reservoir is being spilled over to wash out the dirty water. Follow up samples are being taken to confirm the water is properly treated and back to safe water quality standards.

Please continue to boil your water or use bottled water until you are notified that the water quality is satisfactory.  This advisory will remain in effect until repairs are completed and testing shows the water quality to be safe.  We anticipate this occurring Wednesday 9/8/2021, around midday.  

For more information, maps and updates, visit PVWC.com or call 973-340-4300.

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.

Click Here For A Printable Map

Click Here For A List of the Street Names

*Cleaned dishes and utensils should be rinsed in water that contains 1 tablespoon of household bleach per gallon of water (100-200ppm chlorine) and allowed to air dry before use.

Home treatment devices that do not boil or chemically disinfect the water with acceptable disinfectants are not considered reliable alternatives to boiling the water.

*** UPDATE – September 4th, 2021 ***

Boil Water Advisory Continues for customers in Passaic, Paterson and parts of Clifton (see map, above).

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST OR USE BOTTLED WATER. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking; preparing foods; mixing baby formula, food, juices or drinks; washing vegetables and fruit; cooking; making ice; brushing teeth; and washing dishes until further notice.  Bring all water to a rolling boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Ice or any beverages prepared with tap water after 9/1/2021 should be discarded.

Excessive runoff resulting from the remnants of Hurricane Ida resulted in the contamination of New Street Reservoir with untreated water. PVWC is continuing to isolate the New Street Reservoir from the distribution system, while pumping treated water into the reservoir to spill over dirty water.

Of the 15 follow up samples collected in the distribution system on September 2, 2021, one sample was positive for coliform bacteria. The contaminated water was flushed out of the distribution system by our field crews and subsequent samples were negative for coliform bacteria. PVWC will continue enhanced monitoring in the system and testing for microbial contamination through the duration of the Boil Water Advisory.

We are working closely with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that the drinking water provided to your community is restored in a safe and timely manner.  Please continue to boil your water or use bottled water until you are notified that the water quality is satisfactory.  This advisory will remain in effect until repairs are completed and testing shows the water quality to be safe.