‘Unprecedented’ Bloomfield Water Emergency; Boil Advisory Still Active

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A boil water advisory continued in Bloomfield on Friday after a large, “unprecedented” main break took place in Nutley earlier this week, officials said.

The fallout from Wednesday’s break spurred a boil water advisory in Bloomfield and caused alerts in Newark, Montclair, Belleville and Glen Ridge. Bloomfield was the only town to issue a boil water advisory as of Friday. Read More: Large NJ Water Main Break Causes Boil Advisory, Service Issues (Update)

Officials in multiple towns have said that the broken water main is operated by the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission (NJDWSC), which oversees the largest regional water supply in the state of New Jersey.

A spokesperson with the NJDWSC told Patch that crews have been on the job “around the clock” since the break took place, and have been working with local police and other public safety officials on traffic and other related issues. Work is expected to be completed by Friday night.

“The exact reason for the compromise of the pipe is under investigation,” he added.

BLOOMFIELD

Bloomfield residents should boil their drinking water "until further notice" due to the emergency repairs, town officials first announced Wednesday. In addition, some local residents may experience low or no water pressure, officials said. Read More: Boil Water In Bloomfield Until Further Notice, Town Says

On Friday, the Township of Bloomfield Water Department gave another update on the situation. Officials wrote:

“The township just completed a call with NJDEP along with seven municipalities and three water utilities. This is an unprecedented water emergency involving a seventy-two-inch aqueduct controlled by the North Jersey District Water Commission, and a forty-eight and forty-two-inch aqueduct controlled by Newark Water Supply. This unprecedented event has affected three counties and over three hundred thousand residents in several municipalities. We are in contact and coordination with all affected municipalities and agencies. Initially, this was supposed to be a six-hour repair in which the township tapped into our backup lines with Passaic Valley Water Commission and North Jersey Water Supply. We will be tapping into the North Jersey Water supply and Passaic Valley Water Commission today to be able to increase water pressure to certain parts of the township. Unfortunately, repairs of this magnitude are taking a lot longer than anticipated and we hope to have more answers by this evening about when the completion repairs of these three aqueducts.”

Bloomfield officials continued:

“As a precaution, a boil water advisory remains in effect for the entire township, even if you are not experiencing low pressure. Bloomfield water customers are instructed to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow the tap water to cool before using, 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. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Boiling water is required even if your residence or business does not experience low pressure and should continue after pressures return to normal until further notice.”

If any residents are experiencing a full loss of water, they can notify the Bloomfield Engineering Department at 973-680-4009, officials said.

“If lines are busy, please leave a message with your phone number and location and someone will return your call,” Bloomfield officials said. “You can also send an email to engineering@bloomfieldtwpnj.com.”

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