Real Science for Real PeopleWhat’s In Your Drinking Water? By Dr. Beth Ravit In
May, about 30 canoeists and kayakers started at the headwaters of the
Hackensack River in Rockland County and paddled all the way to Newark Bay. The
first portion of the trip took them through reservoirs that supply the drinking
water for most of the watershed. As
the Hackensack flows from Rockland County, New York, into northern New Jersey,
a series of four reservoirs (Lake DeForest, Lake Tappan, Woodcliff Lake and the
Oradell Reservoir) supply drinking water to more than 1 million residents of
Bergen and Hudson counties. These reservoirs and the Haworth and Lake DeForest
water treatment plants are owned by United Water of New York and New Jersey,
subsidiaries of the French conglomerate Suez. The companies also obtain water
from wells in Upper Saddle River, the Park Ridge Water Department, the Passaic
Valley Water Commission, the Ridgewood Water Department, and United Water of
Jersey City and New York, which in combination can provide more than 200
million gallons of water a day. Water
companies are mandated by the USEPA and the NJDEP to annually publish a water
quality report. United Water mails a Consumer Confidence Report to all property
owners who obtain drinking water from the company. The report lists
concentrations of substances that can negatively affect the quality of our
drinking water. In addition to providing the highest concentrations of these
substances found during regular water sampling events, the report gives the
concentration range found over the course of a year. The report provides the
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL - highest concentration allowed in drinking
water), and the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG - the concentrations at
which there is no known or expected risk to human health). The report also
rates the susceptibility of our water sources to pathogens, nutrients,
pesticides, radioactive substances and disinfection byproducts. So
in 2004 how safe was our drinking water coming from the upper Hackensack River?
Two sets of water quality standards are reported - the Primary Standards that
are directly related to the safety of our drinking water and the Secondary
Standards that are related to the esthetic quality of the water. In the report
published by United Water in May 2005, none of the Primary or Secondary
Standards exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level except sodium. The NJ
Recommend Upper Limit Secondary Standard for sodium is 50 parts per million
(ppm). The actual concentrations found in our drinking water ranged from 52-60
ppm. United Water notes that for individuals on a sodium restricted diet, this
level may be “of concern.” Any
substance such as chemicals, fertilizers or road salt that is applied to our
lawns or roads can potentially end up in our water supply. For information on
safe landscaping or road salting practices, contact Hackensack Riverkeeper at
201-968-0808. If you have questions about our water quality or if you live in
an apartment building and do not get a copy of the Consumer Confidence Report,
call United Water at 1-800-422-5987. |