Coronavirus is not transmitted by water. Still, Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) wants to protect its ability to deliver water even if employees are impacted by the virus.  “We’re being proactive by taking steps to help prevent employee illness and prepare for operations should significant illnesses occur,” said Executive Director Joseph Bella.  The goal is to ensure that PVWC can continue to treat and deliver clean, quality drinking water without impact from the Coronavirus.

PVWC has already implemented protocols to help reduce the risk of employees becoming infected or spreading the virus while at work.  These steps include:

• Providing social hygiene training to minimize the risk of spreading the virus;
• Training and implementation of techniques to minimize cross contamination among staff;
• Upgrading of in-house programs to maximize infection controls to decrease the possibility of transmission among employees;
• Isolating operations personnel to minimize the risk of cross contamination; and,
• Working with medical advisors to develop protocols for treating any employees that becomes ill.

In addition, PVWC is taking steps to minimize any impact on the water treatment and distribution operations including:

• Coordinating with critical supply vendors to assess future delivery capabilities;
• Topping-off supplies of all essential chemicals to ensure adequate inventory; and
• Developing contingency plans to operate facilities with reduced staffing, should such a situation arise.

Currently there is no disruption to customer services and none are anticipated.  PVWC is working closely with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection as well as water industry contacts.  The situation is being monitored daily and PVWC will issue additional announcements as needed.

If customers have questions, they should visit the website at PVWC.com or contact the Customer Service Department.  Customer Service can be reached by calling 973-340-4300, sending an email to customerservice@pvwc.com.