Notice of Non-Compliance to East Orange Water Commission

The following appears on the Village website:

On March 25, 2011, the NJDEP issued a revised Notice of Non-Compliance to the East Orange Water Commission (EOWC), the supplier and operator of South Orange’s water supply.  The March 25, 2011 Notice of Non-Compliance superseded the February 25, 2011 Notice of Non-Compliance, in which the NJDEP cited the EOWC for exceeding one volatile organic compound (VOC), tetrachloroethylene, during the first quarter of 2011, and for failing to comply with the requirement that the EOWC report to the NJDEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water Implementation the VOC exceedance within 48 hours of becoming aware of it. 

The March 25, 2011 Notice of Non-Compliance addresses the same VOC exceedance, for the same calendar quarter, as the February 25, 2011 Notice of Non-Compliance, but is based on updated information.  While the February 25, 2011 Notice reflected a running annual average of 1.67 µg/L (micro-gram per liter) for tetrachloroethylene, the March 25, 2011 Notice reflects a running annual average of 1.54 µg/L, based on updated sampling results.  NJDEP regulations require that the running annual average for tetrachloroethylene, as calculated for a calendar quarter, not exceed the NJDEP’s maximum concentration limit (“MCL”) of 1 µg/L, equivalent to 1 part per billion.  The March 25, 2011 Notice also reflects that the requirement that the EOWC report to the NJDEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water Implementation the VOC exceedance within 48 hours of becoming aware of it had been satisfied with respect to the newly calculated running annual average. 

According to the NJDEP, this violation does not pose any immediate health risks and customers do not need to use alternatives, such as bottled water, boiling drinking water, or taking other corrective measures.

EOWC is required to circulate public notice of this violation to all water customers within 30 days of issuance of the Notice of Non-Compliance. The actual content of the required public notice must be approved by the NJDEP. 

South Orange water customers with questions should contact the East Orange Water Commission directly at 973-266-8869, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, or at water@ci.east-orange.nj.us.