On average, 4.2 million gallons of water are provided to Hoboken from United Water every day. Many residents wonder, ‘is it safe?’ especially after getting those robocalls saying the occasional brown water is safe to drink, but not to wash clothes in. Every year, United Water and its parent company Suez Environment release a report about what is in your water and how safe it is to drink.
Eric Pallant, professor of Environmental Science at Allegheny College, recently reviewed the 2010 Consumer Confidence Report distributed to Hoboken residents.
Pallant holds a Ph.D in Soil Science from Cornell University, a Master of Forest Science degree from Yale University, and a B.A. in Environmental Science from Wesleyan University.
Pallant and United Water both agree the water company has allowed no health violations, but there are some parts of the report that stand out to the trained eye.
High level of pathogens
“The first thing that jumps out at me is on page five,” Pallant said. “There are some things that have high ratings.”
The fifth page of the packet reports that a high level of pathogens and DBPs are found in the Boonton Reservoir, where Hoboken gets its water.
‘As far as I can tell, nothing is beyond acceptable levels.’ – Eric Pallant, Professor of Environmental Science, Allegheny College
________
DBPs, or “disinfection byproduct precursors,” in layman’s terms, are mostly chlorine.
“My first reaction is, if you have high pathogens, even if you have a medium pathogen rating, there is some cause for concern,” Pallant said.
A common use of DBPs is to decrease the amount of pathogens in the water. If there is a high level of pathogens, subsequently there most likely is also going to be a high level of DBPs.
“The problem is, the water company isn’t putting the pathogens in the water supply; somebody else is,” Pallant said. “Hoboken’s watershed appears to be in an area where there are comparatively high ratings on contaminants. As far as I can tell, nothing is beyond acceptable levels; everything is acceptable. But there are some things that are slightly worrisome.”
The cause for the pathogens could stem from the bear population, geese, dog walkers, or problems with septic tanks in the Boonton area, according to Pallant.
“It’s either because the sewers aren’t working properly or septic tanks aren’t working,” Pallant said. “Or people could be walking their dogs some place in the watershed and they’re not picking up after them. The water company then puts a lot of chlorine in the water, and then their DBP rating goes up.”
Other substances in the water
Page six of the consumer confidence report lists the highest amount of a substance – lead – allowed in the water by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and then provides the reading in the Boonton Reservoir.
“The lead number jumps out at me because, ideally, the goal is you don’t want anybody exposed to any lead,” Pallant said. “Technically, New Jersey allows for up to 15 parts per billion, but there is some lead showing up.”
The lead amount in the report is listed as slightly under half of the legal maximum.
The seventh page of the consumer quality report lists additional substances and the degree of their presence in the water, such as aluminum, chloride, hardness, iron, sodium, and zinc.
“None of the readings [of the substances] on page seven really bother me,” Pallant said.
Is brown water safe?
It may repulse some, but brown water is safe to drink. In most cases, it is a matter of some dirt getting into the water supply, according to Pallant.
“There’s nothing wrong with drinking dirt,” Pallant said. “It’s anything attached to the dirt that people worry about it. But ninety percent of the world drinks water that is sort of brownish.”
On the weekend of Aug. 28, Hoboken and Jersey City residents turned on their faucets to find brown water.
“Although the water is discolored, it poses no health risks and it meets safe drinking water standards,” according to a statement by United Water. “However, customers may prefer to wait until it runs clear before drinking or washing clothes or dishes.”
Brown water has previously surfaced in Hoboken and Jersey City. Though the issue from the weekend of Aug. 28 has been resolved, the possibility that it could appear again is likely, and it shouldn’t worry residents, according to Pallant.
Three parting thoughts
Pallant notes that there are no violations, which means the water is safe to drink.
He also believes the water company was not as clear as it could have been on the actual statistics. There were parts of the report that even he found difficult to understand.
Finally, Pallant believes any high rating is not the fault of the water company.
“To the extent that there are risks, the water company is doing whatever it can to eliminate those,” Pallant said. “Risks don’t originate with the water company. They have to look at what’s going on in Boonton to make sure there are no geese or dog walkers in the reservoir area. It could even be the wildlife, like the bear population, that’s causing a high rating for pathogens.”
Review it yourself
The Consumer Confidence Report from United Water provides a phone number for residents to call to discuss their water quality.
“This CCR contains important information about your drinking water. Please read it carefully and feel free to call us at 800.422.5987 if you have any questions about your water or your water service,” according to a letter in the Consumer Confidence Report from Jim Glozzy, vice president and general manager of United Water New Jersey.
Two calls to the communications department of United Water were not returned by press time.
The consumer confidence report is listed online at http://www.unitedwater.com/eBooks/HobokenCCR/hobokenccr.html.
Ray Smith can be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com.
(Poll closes Thursday, Sept. 16)