Bloomfield residents are being warned that their drinking water, which is supplied by Newark, exceeds the federal limits for trihalomethanes, chemical contaminants that are byproducts of chlorination. Some are carcinogenic.

The standard for trihalomethanes in drinking water is 80 ug/l. Bloomfield water averaged 83 ug/l in the third quarter and 86 ug/l in the fourth quarter.

The letter from the township suggested that the elderly, people with severely compromised immune systems and people with infants should seek medical advice.

The full letter follows.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Total Trihalomethanes Violation at Bloomfield Water Department

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation.

We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Testing results from third quarter and fourth quarter 2011 show that our system exceeded the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for Trihalomethanes. The standard for Trihalomethanes is 80 ug/l. It is determined by averaging all samples collected by our system for the last 12 months. The level of Trihalomethanes averaged at our system for third quarter 2011 was 83 ug/l and fourth quarter 2011 was 86 ug/l.

What should I do?

  • There is nothing you need to do unless you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, or are elderly. These people may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
  • You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours. We will announce any emergencies on Channel 35, Bloomfield Public TV.

What does this mean?

This is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified with 24 hours.

People who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

What is being done?

The Township of Bloomfield purchases 100% of its water supply from the City of Newark, and does not maintain any sources or treatment processes.

We are working with the City of Newark, our water supplier, to improve water quality and establish compliance.

We intend to perform additional monitoring in our service area to better characterize the water supply and elevated Trihalomethanes levels.

We will evaluate our hydrant flushing program (normally performed twice per year) to determine if additional flushing in our service area will minimize water age and reduce Trihalomethanes (disinfection by-products) in our water supply.

For more information, please contact Anthony Marucci, Water Operator at 973-680-4168 or Township of Bloomfield, Engineering Department – Room 203, One Municipal Plaza, Bloomfield, N.J. 07003

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by The Township of Bloomfield Water Department. State Water System ID# NJ0702001. Date Distributed: January 11, 2012.

62 replies on “Bloomfield Drinking Water Contains Excess Trihalomethanes”

  2. A google search comes up with a negative, brita doesnt take out the poison.

    Bottle water sales just rose in Baristaville.

  4. This is not the first time we’ll be getting a letter from the township about something like this either.

    I’m so glad though, that Governor Christie is signing legislation to roll back some of our clean water laws. OBVIOUSLY, our water is pristine enough.

  5. Reminds me of the drug commercials disclaimers:

    “People who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer”

    Other than that, it’s good for you..

  6. I wonder why the town didn’t see a need to notify residents when the water violated the standard at 83, but felt 86 was worth mentioning?

    If I understand the notice, the water may have been out of compliance since as early as July 1, 2011, six months ago. That’s quite a time to wait for a notice to people with compromised immune systems, the elderly, infants, etc

  8. Was it the town that notified us or was it Councilman Nick Joanow? My email came directly from him.

  10. I should have said- the town notified some average residents via e-mail. I too got my niotification from Nick Joanow.

  16. Sandy, the purity standards for bottled water are actually LOWER than for drinking water. Don’t presume that any bottled water is better rather than worse than this — maybe it happens to be, but maybe it is worse.

    Also, the concern is not merely for drinking, as from Wikipedia:

    Trihalomethanes are formed as a by-product predominantly when chlorine is used to disinfect water for drinking. They represent one group of chemicals generally referred to as disinfection by-products. They result from the reaction of chlorine and/or bromine with organic matter present in the water being treated. The THMs produced have been associated through epidemiological studies with some adverse health effects. Many governments set limits on the amount permissible in drinking water. However, trihalomethanes are only one group of many hundreds of possible disinfection by-products—the vast majority of which are not monitored—and it has not yet been clearly demonstrated which of these are the most plausible candidate for causation of these health effects. In the United States, the EPA limits the total concentration of the four chief constituents (chloroform, bromoform, bromodichloromethane, and dibromochloromethane), referred to as total trihalomethanes (TTHM), to 80 parts per billion in treated water.

    Chloroform is also formed in swimming pools which are disinfected with chlorine or hypochlorite in the haloform reaction with organic substances (e.g. urine, sweat, hair and skin particles). Some of the THMs are quite volatile and may easily vaporize into the air. This makes it possible to inhale THMs while showering, for example. The EPA, however, has determined that this exposure is minimal compared to that from consumption. In swimmers, uptake of THMs is greatest via the skin with dermal absorption accounting for 80% of THM uptake[1]. Exercising in a chlorinated pool increases the toxicity of a “safe” chlorinated pool atmosphere[2] with toxic effects of chlorine byproducts greater in young swimmers than older swimmers[3]. Studies in adolescents have shown an inverse relationship between serum testosterone levels and the amount of time spent in a public pools. Chlorination by-products have been linked as a probable cause.[4]

  17. I meant to say:

    ” … the purity standards for bottled water are actually LOWER than for tap water.”

  19. The town decision-makers issued a Reverse 911phone call to declare that Halloween was cancelled… carcinogens in the water, no call. Like others, I received an email from N.Joanow. Guess the rest of them didn’t feel it was important to share this info with us; remember that along with your ever-increasing tax bill next election!

  21. Baristanet poll: what’s better for public safety?
    1. Additional firefighters
    2. Additional police
    3. Increased water sanitation/purification investment
    4. Can we have all of the above?

  22. Ahh, the delusion of demanding pure drinking water….how many years after the start of the industrial revolution?
    Devo in Paradise
    Chapter 86

  28. Yes. A carbon filter would be the best remedy to filter out chemicals from water. I only know this from my research into filters from my Appalachian Trail hiking days. The tiny holes in the filter can remove bacteria, but only charcoal can remove chemicals. Or something like that. When it’s all said and done though, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils are probably doing more damage to you than any trace amounts of trihalomethanes.

  29. Well- many of us make sure not to eat high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils and bottled water is not the answer as it introduces it’s own problems- both healthwise and environmentally.

    The bad news is that the faucet mounted and pitcher types of filter don’t remove this stuuf- A Brita water filter claims to remove 99 percent of chlorine as well as heavy metals in tap water such as lead and copper which can be caused by the household installations. The filters also eliminate fluoride, which may not be a benefit for children’s teeth.

    Brita, however, does not filter THMs out of tap water.
    https://waterindustry.org/Water-Facts/filtered-1.htm

    Activated Carbon Filter

    Remove chlorine, pesticides, trihalomethanes and some heavy metals with an activated carbon filter. Trihalomethanes are a byproduct of the chlorine water treatment process used by most municipal water treatment facilities. Attach an end-of-faucet carbon filter or an inline filter at the kitchen sink to filter cooking and drinking water. Change activated carbon filters regularly to prevent a buildup of contaminants and use a pre-filter to catch sediment and rust scale that clog the carbon filter. Change your filters more often than recommended if necessary since filter longevity depends on water quality and the concentration of contaminants. Effectively treat water with activated carbon in granulated or block form, although, the University of Michigan Extension recommends that an activated carbon block is more effective. Use a deep filter to improve filtration by increasing the time water is exposed to the carbon.

    https://www.ehow.com/list_6692542_water-filtration-options-home-owners.html#ixzz1jRzHhHdE

  30. I am Bloomfield resident and have not been notified by anyone from the Township of Bloomfield about the excess of trihalomethanes. I assume that since we have been homeowners for 43 years and pay our taxes, and water bills, they know who we are.

  31. If you lived in NICK JOANOW’S district you had a much greater chance of being notified aince he sent out e-mails. There’s still NOTHING on the town website.I thought we had a NEW IT Director. Doesn’t anyone give him updates for the website?

  35. I’ve noticed the increase in the smell of Chlorine too but live in GR. Are we all getting our water from the same source? Carl B., any ideas about our city gin?

  36. PAZ,

    GR has a different source – we get our water from the Wanaque Reservoir (GR owns 3/4 of 1% of it) via Montclair – like all muni water, it is tested regularly – last I checked, all of our testing was ok.

  37. Carl would agree that Glen Ridge has, on rare occasion, tested above health guidelines for lead & bacteria. They sent out town-wide letters, and remediated the lead locally, but it understandably took time. It remains to be seen whether Bloomfield can operate so functionally. Why do I doubt it?

  38. The lead was a challenge to deal with – we began a massive program to line all the water mains (about 30 miles of pipe) with cement in 1991 (my first year as a Councilman and as GR Water Commissioner) – it was done in stages over 20 years or so. Many homes also had lead pipe service lines that had to be replaced. I don’t think we’ve had any lead limit issues since those projects have been completed.

    The occasional bacteria violations usually occur because of surges in the wildlife populations in, on or over the reservoir, those types of limit-violations are generally minor and are usually quickly corrected.

  39. Oh my it made the paper.- Bloomfield Life: circulation 1,946

    So 1946 of Bloomfield’s 11,000+ households have been notified

    When does Bloomfield plan on notifying the other 9,000 households????

    https://www.northjersey.com/topstories/bloomfield/137423903_Bloomfield_issues_water_caution.html

    “Those who repeatedly drink the water during a period of years may develop liver, kidney or central nervous system problems, and have an increased risk of getting cancer, according to the township’s letter.

    “There is nothing you need to do unless you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, or are elderly,” the letter states. “These people may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.”

    Nice to know that Bloomfield doesn’t consider my increased risk of developing cancer, kidney or central nervous problems an emergency.

  40. OMG Bloomfield has actually posted information about the water contamination. Gotta love this

    “If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours. We will announce any emergencies on Channel 35, Bloomfield Public TV”

    “Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.”

    It took several months to put this on the Bloomfield website. How many people were actually notified directly???

  41. And then tonight when I get home from a day at the emergency room at Mountainside and leaving my husband in the Intensive Care Unit. I get a nasty e-mail from the Bloomfield Township Engineer saying that I should have called him for the “facts” and telling me that he would have provided me with information “that you needed” if I had called him personally!

    Dear Bloomfield Town Engineer and Administration~~~we needed this information when it happened. Not months later.

    When YOU were notified. Not months later.

    The residents of Bloomfield should not be made to call you directly to ask you for information. I should flow from the town to US. Remember YOU work for US and have an ethical obligation to tell us about problems with the water that we drink. We should not have to beg you for information.

    DO YOUR JOB!

  42. Maybe the Barista will consider publishing the town engineer’s letter to me- I give my permission and have forwarded it. The Engineer copied the mayor, several town councilors, TWO township attorneys, township administrator and used hos township account including the town seal.

    I think it makes good reading and that residents of Bloomfield will understand the town’s chutzpah and the town employees lack of understanding that it is their job to serve US- the residents of Bloomfield.

    I’m going to OPRA the water department reports on water quality for the last couple of years. Wonder what they will show.

  43. “We will announce any emergencies on Channel 35, Bloomfield Public TV”

    What if you have the digital antenna and don’t get Ch35 ? I don’t get it, I barely get channel 11.

    But when they want to throw a flu clinic my phone blows up with text messages.

    I’m glad we agree Pat that some of the towns employees are redefining useless.

  44. Pat, post the letter as a comment here. I’d love to see it. Town officials have some explaining to do. The engineer’s correct that we don’t have all the facts. We need them. Make them public and we’ll go from there.

    Let’s work towards a solution.

  46. Ok RoC I will but the this thread has already passed onto the archives and it would be helpful to have a fresh thread so that people see it.

    The Township Engineers letter to me. CC’s to the mayor, TWO Town Attorneys, two town councilors, the assitant engineer. I will follow this post with my response.

    On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 9:50 AM, Paul Lasek wrote:

    Ms. Gilleran,

    It amazes me how you use the right channels to obtain information when it directly interests you. But when you choose to disparage and criticize the township you use a blog site of questionable credibility.

    If you have issues or problems with the township’s water supply why didn’t you just call me and get the real story. I certainly would have provided you with all the information you needed, instead of your continue to post critical and disparaging remarks on this website in an attempt to embarrass this town and this department and incite fear.

    Very Truly Yours,

    Paul D. Lasek, P.E.

    Township Engineer

    TOWNSHIP OF BLOOMFIELD

    1 Municipal Plaza

    Bloomfield, NJ 07002

    973-680-4130

    plasek@bloomfieldtwpnj.com

    http://www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com

  47. My response to the Town of Bloomfield ‘s Engineering Department Head’s letter:

    From: Patricia Gilleran
    Date: Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 12:03 AM
    Subject: Bloomfield’s water supply – a personal messge from the township engineer

    To: Paul Lasek
    Cc: RayMcCarthy , Michael Venezia , “Joanow, Nick (h)” , Yoshi Manale , engineering , “Aloia, Brian (Esq-2012)” , Steve Martino , Steve Coppola , Debra Galant

    Dear Mr. Lasek,

    It amazes me that you think I could call you when the water contamination was not announced by the township when it occurred and was only covered by Baristanet 6 months later (maybe you should take a look at the awards that Baristanet has received before questioning their credibility) .

    Bloomfield’s disregard for communicating with it residents is overwhelming. A reverse 911 call to cancel Halloween but nothing about the water that we drink.

    Baristanet reports on the water problem and suddenly something is posted on the town website and yet contamination occurred in the 3rd and 4th Quarter of 2011 (wowee that’s 6 – count them -six months).

    I assume that your communication attempting to shut me up is an official one since it comes with town seal attached. Why would you suggest that the drinking water of Bloomfield doesn’t concern me personally. I drink it every day and have a compromised immune system. It would have been nice to know that I should have switched to bottled water when the town was first notified of the problem. The fear that I have is for myself, my family, and my friends and neighbors. It’s too bad that you think that we didn’t need to be notified.

    I see that you have cc’d the township attorney. Are you expecting lawsuits because of your failure to inform the public?

    You should be ashamed at yourself and embarrased at your lack of informing the public! I will continue to express my opinion when the town does not live up to it’s obligations for the residents of Bloomfield.

    Pat Gilleran
    973 568-2xx7 (cell)

    ps- Debbie feel free to publish on Baristanet and call me for any comments

  49. Just wanted to point out that a level of 80ug/L trihalomethanes is highly conservative based on health risk to the public. The drinking water quality standard in Canada is 100 ug/L and even that is a conservative estimate.

    It is important to demand the best from your municipalities, but sometimes it may be helpful to get more information about how the level is actually derived before freaking out over 6ug/L.

  50. Bloomfield’s water supply is compromised again! we received a letter in January 2012 saying that it was no big deal and now again in January 2013.

    Oh yeah, right – it may not be an emergency to you Mr. Township engineer – but to children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems it may be.

    “People who drink water containing Trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems and may have an increased risk of getting cancer”

    then they ask individual homeowners to share the notice because people in: “apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses” may not have received it. Who lives in apartments, nursing homes, and goes to schools- the same people who “may experience problems”

    Well, I’ve lived in Bloomfield isince 1986- is that long enough??

    WHY NOT DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR IT TO GO AWAY??

  51. The letter received yesterday also stated that the Bloomfield Water Dept is required to continue to issue the notice until results of 4 quarters collected show that the running annual average is below the maximum containment level, so this isn’t a new notice its part of the same one we were sent last year. It also states that by March 2013 they should be done collecting and analyzing sample from the 4 locations that had the violations and have it resolved by April.

    They also outlined a plan for preventing this type of thing going forward by increasing how often they flush out the hydrants and had contact info for anyone with additional questions.

  52. ps- Bloomfield’s Water Service Charge was just increased by 18%. I guess we’re paying for our extra Trihalomethanes and they’ve turned out to be pretty expensive

  53. Do you actually believe them- we got a notice in January of 2012 that said the same thing- So I guess 2012 was not a year to be aggressive with water contamination. Same o same o

    and Yes they sent it because they were required to…since it’s still contaminated

  54. Or we are paying for whatever procedures and clean up is going on. It’s hard to be upset over this as the air in NJ is carcinogenic, the ice caps are melting faster then scientists ever thought possible and people still think global warming is a hoax. It’s like being upset someone didn’t wipe their feet in a condemned house.

  55. So you think Bloomfield is a “condemned house”. Montclair has none of these problems and is putting in a water filtration system. Glen Ridge has problems that they abated over 20 years. But Bloomfield doesn’t abate problems – they just send out the requires notices.

    I’m checking to see if they bothered to notify the BOE and the parents associations.

  56. We have lived in Bloomfield for 56 years and have been property owners for 43 of those years. We are registered voters, and have voted in every election. We are not on the Township’s email list! How does one get on this list? I guess we missed something along the way. And what about people who do not have access to computers? I guess they have to wait for the Township to send a notice through the United States Postal Service. And, not so incidentally, how does one get on Nick Joanow’s email list?

  57. No Pat I think the environment as a whole is a condemned house. I’m not aware of melting ice caps in Bloomfield.

  58. And for the past few days parts of Montclair had to boil their water, so seems like they do have problems too. Very expensive problems, have you compared their taxes to ours ?

  59. There has also been a marked rise in the consumption of trimethylxanthine among residents of Bloomfield, Montclair and indeed the entire nation. This substance cost the US $19 billion a year.

  61. frobnitz I’m not on the town’s e-mail list. Bloomfield does not send out a newsletter like Montclair does every month. Bloomfield sends out the BUZZ 3 times per year and does not communicate with it’s residents on a regular basis. If you want ANY information you typically need to OPRA it.

    Residents of Bloomfield have gotten together on facebook to share information and some of us have our own e-mail lists where we notify other residents about upcoming Planning Board and Zoning Board meetings and Town Council meetings. We look at their agenda and share information.
    Look up SAVEBLOOMFIELDNOW and Citizens of Bloomfield on Facebook. Watsessing has it’s own are as well.

    Our government (specifically the mayor) complains about the number of OPRA requests and then refuses to share information on their website. The complete water quality report for 2011 isn’t up on the Bloomfield Website – only the DEP mandated contamination notice.

    The only town council person who regularly shares anything is Nick Joanow. You can e-mail him and ask to be placed on his e-mail list.
    https://www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com/content/township-bloomfield-list-township-officials. His e-mail don’t come out on a regular basis – just when he feels that there is something that his constituents need to know.

    We’ve been calling for transparency in gvt and get nothing. If you have time come to one of the town council meetings and tell them how this all makes you feel- you get 5 minutes at the public comment portion of the meeting – usually close to the beginning.

    @hrhppg Montclair saw fit to notify their residents when water needed boiling – and I don’t think the incident was caused by lack of regular maintenace… I’m interested in knowing if you as a renter received the DEP mandated notice. Did you know that 1/2 of Bloomfield’s population are renters- my impression is that the notice ONLY went to homeowners. I know that it didn’t go to the BOE.

  62. and here’s the Montclair water notice about boiling water on 1 street- meanwhile Bloomfield’s water has been contaminated since 2011

    BOIL WATER ADVISORY FOR MONTCLAIR WATER CUSTOMERS ON ELSTON ROAD
    Tue Jan 1, 2013 6:08 pm |

    PLEASE NOTE: Only customers on Elston Road between Valley Road and Norwood
    Avenue affected.

    The Montclair Water Bureau is providing notification that a water main break occurred at Elston Road between Valley Road and Norwood Avenue, which has caused customers in that location to be without water or to experience a significant loss of pressure. A potential or actual threat to the quality of water being provided to you currently exists. As a precaution, the Montclair Water Bureau is implementing a Boil Water Advisory for these customers until testing of the water supply is deemed satisfactory.

    Effective immediately and until further notice, bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow the tap water to cool before using for:

    • drinking,
    • preparing foods, washing vegetables and fruit,
    • cooking,
    • making ice cubes,
    • taking medications,
    • brushing teeth, and
    • mixing baby formula, food, juices or drinks.

    Please continue to boil your water or use bottled water until you are notified that the water quality is satisfactory.

    The following measures are also recommended:

    • Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes if made with tap water during the day of the advisory;

    • Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking;

    • Do not swallow water while showering or bathing;

    • Rinse hand-washed dishes with a diluted bleach solution (one tablespoon of household bleach per gallon of tap water) or clean your dishes in a dishwasher using the hot wash cycle and dry cycle;

    • Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water; most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from
    micro-organisms;

    • Use only boiled water to treat minor injuries; and

    • Provide pets with drinking water that has been boiled (and cooled).

    Please be advised that the Montclair Water Bureau is working to restore your water quality.

    This advisory will remain in effect until repairs are completed and testing shows the water quality to be safe. You will be notified when the boil water advisory is lifted.

    Thank you for your patience. If customers have any questions, please contact the Montclair Water Bureau at 973-744-4600.

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