Jersey City Councilors Want To Form A Committee To Investigate SUEZ's Response To Ida

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Now that the floodwaters have cleared and most of the damage has been assessed following Tropical Storm Ida, Jersey City councilors are turning their attention to SUEZ to find out what hindered a timely response for clean water.

For 72 hours, Jersey City residents faced a boil water advisory to ensure their water was safe to drink after Ida.

City Council President Joyce Watterman and Councilmember James Solomon will introduce a resolution to create a strong Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the city’s water provider co-sponsored by Councilmembers Denise Ridley, Mira Prinz-Arey, Richard Boggiano, Yousef Saleh, and Rolando Lavarro. The Committee would be responsible for reviewing SUEZ’s emergency response to Tropical Storm Ida which brought extreme flooding that resulted in substantial damages to property, facilities, and structures throughout Jersey City.

"After bringing SUEZ executives before the Council at our last meeting, I know the next step is a thorough investigation to ensure the safety of Jersey City’s water supply, " said Watterman,"The City Council will work together as a whole to investigate SUEZ’s action and ensure a plan for water distribution and emergency communication is implemented for all future events."

A day after Tropical Storm Ida hit Jersey City, SUEZ issued a boil water advisory, which left thousands of households without access to clean water. The Council members' pointed criticism comes after SUEZ failed to open water distribution stations across the city. SUEZ announced they would be distributing water at 9 am on September 3rd but didn’t arrive with water till hours later, and ran out of water almost immediately, leaving residents without clean water for hours.

"Residents of Jersey City were left without access to clean water for days," Soloman said, "Suez failed Jersey City residents when they needed them the most and they must be held accountable. The residents of this city deserve answers, and to know that next time a storm hits, they will have access to clean water and timely information."

The Municipal Council of Jersey City is able to designate any number of its members as an ad hoc committee to investigate any matter. Upon the completion of the investigation, the Committee will issue recommendations and ensure changes are implemented to improve Jersey City’s and SUEZ’s emergency preparedness and response for similar events in the future.

SUEZ Senior Vice President Richard W. Henning issued a statement in response to the council's announced plan, saying:

"As we have said previously, Hurricane Ida was an unprecedented storm event that caused extensive damage to water systems throughout the region and we are proud of the steps our team took to immediately identify the issue, repair the damage and work collaboratively with the State DEP and MUA to ensure resident safety. SUEZ is committed to identifying areas of improvement in our emergency response and finding ways to better serve our valued customers in Jersey City. We will fully cooperate with the City Council's efforts and continue our productive dialogue with city officials on how to ensure that Jersey City residents always have access to safe, clean drinking water."

During Ida's downpour, Jersey City saw 6.5 inches of rain and preliminary damage estimates in the city are totaling $35 million. Hundreds of cars were left in Jersey City's roads, and homeowners are still reporting personal property damage. Hudson County was only recently added to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster list, giving Jersey City residents the option to apply for federal disaster relief.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 22.