Berkeley Township MUA: No Cause Of E. Coli Found In Test Results

BERKELEY, NJ — After a full assessment was complete, the Berkeley Township Municipal Utilities Authority could not identify the cause of a July 14 water sample that detected E. coli.

A boil water advisory was issued for BTMUA customers on July 19 after E. coli was detected in tests of the BTMUA’s water supply. As follow-up tests were conducted, the BTMUA flushed its distribution system and refreshed it with new water.

The BTMUA announced Saturday that its water quality was deemed safe after follow-up water samples tested negative for E. coli.

“Definitively, we don’t know the reason for why that one site tested positive in that regard,” said Michele Nugent, executive director of the BTMUA. “If there was an issue there, it was no longer there.”

A routine water sample taken from a sink at the Central Regional School District on July 14 tested positive for E. coli. In a follow-up test from Central Regional, water tested negative for E. coli, but a test from the agency's treatment plant on Station Road contained one Total Coliform.

Following these results, the DEP instructed the BTMUA to issue a boil water advisory to its customers on Monday, July 19.

In a statement on July 19, BTMUA officials had said the contamination could have been caused by heavy rains or a break in the distribution system.

However, those possibilities were ruled out when the assessment was complete, Nugent said. Water runoff could not have infiltrated the treatment system because the BTMUA has a closed system and a water main break was not found.

The state Department of Environmental Protection required the agency to conduct nine tests in the impacted area and at two water towers.

BTMUA received results on July 24 that showed water samples were negative for both Total Coliform and E. coli.

After the DEP received those results, the BTMUA was able to lift the boil water advisory on Saturday.

“Every entity in the town came forward to help us through this situation and ShopRite — they were really a true partner along the way,” Nugent said.

Partnering with ShopRite, the BTMUA distributed six gallons of water to customers each day beginning on Tuesday while the advisory was in effect.

“It was a true community, team effort that was able to get this rectified in the manner that we did,” Nugent said.

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