On-Going Updates

Remediation of New Street Reservoir - Completed

PHASE 1 - Flushing Reservoir
PHASE 2 - Flushing Distribution System
PHASE 3 - Distribution System Sampling

PVWC ANNOUNCES CREDIT

FOR CUSTOMERS IN IMPACTED AREAS

For more than six weeks, some customers of the Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) had to boil their water before drinking it or using it for cooking. Now, PVWC has announced they will issue a credit to those customers.

The Boil Water Notice was issued after remnants of Hurricane Ida caused stormwater to overflow and contaminate the 52-million-gallon New Street Reservoir. The open-air reservoir is where drinking water is stored, for up to two weeks, after it’s treated but before its delivered to customers.

Acknowledging the inconvenience that was caused to customers, PVWC will apply an estimated $1 million in credits to about 40,000 residential and commercial water accounts in the impacted area. The credit, of $25 per account should begin appearing on customer’s bills around the beginning of November and continue through the 90-day billing cycle.

To determine the appropriate size of the credit, PVWC considered the following facts:

  • Of all water used by customers, only 10-20% is used to cook or drink, and could still be consumed after it was boiled. The remaining 80-90% is for washing clothes, bathing, and similar uses, which were not impacted.
  • The vast majority of customers pay a quarterly fixed service charge which includes some water usage, but also includes the cost of operating and maintaining the overall system. The credit is equal to about one-third of the quarterly fixed service charge.
  • Customers that used more than the minimum amount of water will not receive a greater credit because their use above-average amounts of water indicated they were not restricted by the situation.
  • In addition to the cost of the credit to impacted customers, PVWC spent an additional $3 million to restore water quality in the reservoir, flush over 550 miles of water mains and 4,000 hydrants, and providing bottled drinking water to customers in the impacted areas.
  • Finally, the size of the credit had to be weighed against the need to provide some relief, without placing additional expense on customers that did not live in the impacted area.

PVWC knows there is no way to sufficiently compensate customers for the inconvenience, stress and anxiety caused by the extended boil water notice. The credit, however, is offered as a token gesture to indicate the appreciation of the impact this had on customers. PVWC remains committed to replacing the open reservoirs with enclosed water tanks so that situations like this can be avoided in the future.

BOIL WATER NOTICE LIFTED FOR CUSTOMERS OF PASSAIC VALLEY WATER COMMISSION, PWSID# 1605002

Customers of Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) in Paterson, Passaic, and parts of Clifton and Woodland Park were notified on September 2, 2021, of a possible problem with the drinking water due to flooding of the New Street Reservoir from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida. Impacted customers were advised to boil the tap water before using for drinking and cooking.  We are pleased to report that the water quality of New Street Reservoir has been restored to normal operating conditions, flushing of water mains has been completed, and subsequent water quality testing shows that water meets applicable safe drinking water standards.

THE BOIL WATER ADVISORY IS LIFTED and it is no longer necessary to boil your water before using. The following measures are strongly encouraged at this time:

  • Run your water faucets for 3-5 minutes to flush your service line and interior plumbing.
  • Empty and clean your automatic ice makers and water chillers.
  • Drain and refill your hot water heater if the temperature is set below 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • If your property has a water softener/cartridge filters, it should be run through a regeneration cycle or other procedures recommended by the manufacturer.
  • Water reservoirs in tall buildings should be drained and refilled (as applicable).

Passaic Valley Water Commission would like to thank our customers for their cooperation and understanding during the boil water notice. PVWC consulted closely with the NJDEP to ensure that any applicable state or federal requirements were followed. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

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.

For more information visit our web site at http://www.pvwc.com/updates/ or call Passaic Valley Water Commission at 973-340-4300.

During Phase 3, PVWC is required to sample water at approved NJDEP locations for a minimum of three days in the boil water advisory areas.  The water is being sampled at multiple check points and  must meet all NJDEP compliance and regulatory requirements in order for the NJDEP to approve lifting the boil water notice.  The third round of sample data was collected today. The test results will be available within a minimum of 24 hours from collection.  

The complete test results for yesterday’s sampling indicate no microbial contamination and have been submitted to NJDEP.  

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

During Phase 3, PVWC is required to sample water at approved NJDEP locations for a minimum of three days in the boil water advisory areas. The water is being sampled at multiple check points and must meet all NJDEP compliance and regulatory requirements in order for the NJDEP to approve lifting the boil water notice.

The second round of sample data was collected today. The test results will be available within a minimum of 24 hours from collection.

The complete test results for yesterday’s sampling indicate no microbial contamination and have been submitted to NJDEP.

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Flushing has been completed and we are moving into Phase 3.

During Phase 3, PVWC is required to sample water at approved NJDEP locations for a minimum of three days in the boil water advisory areas.  The water is being sampled at multiple check points and  must meet all NJDEP compliance and regulatory requirements in order for the NJDEP to approve lifting the boil water notice.  The first round of sample data is being collected today. The test results will available within a minimum of 24 hours from collection.  

The test results have not been obtained yet but will be submitted to NJDEP as soon as the testing is complete.  Results of the sampling will be posted on our website when they are available.

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

All crews are currently flushing in Zone 8 and Zone 9.

Clifton/Passaic

Emergency flushing is complete in Clifton/Passaic.  Please continue to boil your water until further notice.

Approximately 3,913 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

All crews are currently flushing in Zone 8 and Zone 9 and will be moving to Zone 12 this evening.

Clifton/Passaic

Emergency flushing is complete in Clifton/Passaic.  Please continue to boil your water until further notice.

Approximately 3,640 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 7Zone 8 , Zone 10,  Zone 11 & Zone 12 and will be moving to Zone 9 in the next few days.

Clifton/Passaic

Emergency flushing is complete in Clifton/Passaic.  Please continue to boil your water until further notice.

Approximately 3,420 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 6Zone 7, Zone 11 & Zone 12 and will be moving to Zone 8, Zone 9 & Zone 10 in the next few days.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 13 today.

Approximately 3,140 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 6 & Zone 7 and will be moving to Zone 8 & Zone 9 in the next few days.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 13 today.

Approximately 2,850 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 6 & Zone 7 and will be moving to Zone 8 & Zone 9 in the next few days.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 12 and will be moving to Zone 13 today.

Approximately 2,622 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 5 & Zone 6 and will be moving to Zone 7 & Zone 8 in the next few days.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 12 and Zone 14 and will be moving to Zone 13 today.

Approximately 2,357 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 5 & Zone 6 and will be moving to Zone 7 & Zone 8 in the next few days.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 12 and Zone 14 and will be moving to Zone 13 in the next day or two.

Approximately 2,000 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

PVWC Customer Service Department will be open this Saturday, October 2nd and Sunday, October 3rd from 9am-2pm to answer questions or concerns. Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushed. It generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 5 & Zone 6 and will be moving to Zone 7 & Zone 8 in the next day or two.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 11 and Zone 14 and will be moving to Zone 12 and Zone 13 within the next day.

Approximately 1,625 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

PVWC Customer Service Department will be open this Saturday, October 2nd and Sunday, October 3rd from 9am-2pm to answer questions or concerns. Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushed. It generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant.  There may be some unavoidable water discoloration and low pressure at any time during flushing. Customers are encouraged to run the cold water after hydrant flushing for a minute or 2 to determine if the water is clear before washing clothes (or any other processing) as staining may occur.

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 4 & Zone 5 and will be moving to Zone 6 & Zone 7 in the next day or two.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 10 and Zone 14 and will be moving to Zone 11 and Zone 13 within the next day.

Approximately 1,300 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link: PVWC Flushing Zones

PVWC Customer Service Department will be open this Saturday, October 2nd and Sunday, October 3rd from 9am-2pm to answer questions or concerns. Please call us at 973-340-4300 or visit www.pvwc.com to stay up-to-date.

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushed. It generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant. 

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 4 & Zone 5 and will be moving to Zone 6 & Zone 7 in the next day or two.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 9 and Zone 14 and will be moving to Zone 10 and Zone 13 within the next day.

Approximately 1,050 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date. Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link.

PVWC Flushing Zones

The Clean Up Continues

Hydrant flushing is being performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until all hydrants within the boil water alert area have been flushedIt generally takes from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to flush one hydrant. 

Paterson/Prospect Park

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 3 & Zone 4 and will be moving to Zone 5 & Zone 6 in the next day or two.

Clifton/Passaic

Crews are currently flushing in Zone 8 and will be moving to Zone 9 within the day.

Approximately 800 of 4,013 hydrants have been flushed to date.

Copies of the zone maps are posted on the website, and can be accessed using the following link.

PVWC Flushing Zones

Flushing of water mains and hydrants began over the weekend. The flushing is necessary to restore the New Street Reservoir to its normal high-quality water standards.

Today we are flushing in:

Clifton, Zone 7 (CLICK for map)

Paterson, Zone 2 (CLICK for map)

During the flushing, which is expected to continue for another 7-10 days, you may experience discoloration or low water pressure. Customers that see water discoloration should open the cold-water faucet and allow the water to run for a minute or two until it clears. Avoid washing clothes with discolored water as some staining may occur. Do not open the hot-water faucets until your water runs clear.

Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) has begun flushing water mains in Clifton, Passaic, Paterson, Prospect Park and Woodland Park. The flushing is needed because, earlier this month, remnants of Hurricane Ida caused torrential rainfall to overflow the banks and contaminate the New Street Reservoir.

The 52-million-gallon reservoir has been inoperable as efforts continue to restore it to the high-quality water standards that existed prior to the hurricane. The clean-up of the reservoir has now reached a point where it is now necessary to flush the estimated 550 miles of pipes and 4,000 hydrants in preparation of restoring service.

The flushing process will run 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, but could still take 10 to 14 days to complete. PVWC is adding extra crews to try to finish the flushing more quickly.

PVWC warns that customers may experience unavoidable discoloration or low pressure during the flushing process. Customers that see water discoloration should open the cold-water faucet and allow the water to run for a minute or two until it clears. Avoid washing clothes with discolored water as some staining may occur. Do not open the hot-water faucets until your water runs clear.

PVWC thanks its customers for their patience and understanding during this situation and remains committed to replacing the open finished water reservoirs with enclosed water storage tanks to prevent this from happening again.

In the meantime, consumers are urged to visit www.PVWC.com for additional information and to sign-up for emergency notifications via voice, text and/or email.

In the weeks since the hurricane, PVWC has been working diligently to bring the reservoir back to the high-quality water standards that existed prior to the hurricane. Massive pumps have been used to bring in millions-of-gallons of clean water while contaminated water was removed from the reservoir.

Once the reservoir is brought back to satisfactory levels, the next step in the process is to clean all the water pipes in the area, by flushing out an estimated 4,000 water hydrants and 550 miles of water pipes. This process will run 24-hours a day and could take another 10 to 14 days to complete. We’re adding extra crews to try to finish the flushing more quickly.

Customers may experience unavoidable discoloration or low pressure during the flushing process. Customers that see water discoloration should open the cold-water faucet and allow the water to run for a minute or two until it clears.

We thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this situation and remain committed to replacing the open finished water reservoirs with enclosed water storage tanks to prevent this from happening again.

The Clean Up Continues

A water delivery hotline is available for elderly or home-bound customers. To arrange a delivery, call 862-304-6232 Monday to Friday between 7:30 am and 6:30 pm.

The Clean Up Continues
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