A leak from a repackaging facility in Branchburg has been identified as the cause of drinking water odor and taste issues experienced by New Jersey American Water (NJAW) customers.
Updating the public on Dec. 27, NJAW said the water utility is working closely with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), which has been conducting an investigation, to manage the impacts from the repacking facility leak into a tributary of the Raritan River.
“According to the NJDEP, the material of the spill consisted of compounds, most notably alpha-pinene, which are commonly used as fragrance and food additives,” they said in a statement, adding that NJAW continues to collect sampling results, modify their treatment process as well as conduct targeted hydrant flushing in areas as NJDEP directs remediation efforts at the repacking facility leak site in Branchburg.
“As of Dec. 26, the company has observed no odor detections in the source water or in the water leaving its treatment plants. We are also continuing to coordinate with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, which has been releasing additional source water into the river.”
NJAW maintains that there is no public risk to its drinking water and meets drinking water standards.
“As a reminder, while the presence of alpha-pinene may still potentially be identified by its odor, the compound has not been detected using advanced analytical chemistry testing in the finished water leaving our treatment facilities or in the water distribution system,” the utility stated.
“The water leaving NJAW’s two Raritan system treatment plants meets state and federal primary drinking water standards established by NJDEP and U.S. DEP, and no risk to public health has been identified by the NJDEP.”
The company supplies 126 million gallons of water a day and sources water from the Millstone River, Raritan River.
The system’s water source is also from aquifers – Brunswick, Stockton, Basalt, Passaic, and Glacial Drift.
The municipalities that have been impacted by the changes in the drinking water includes – Cranbury, Hightstown, Hillsborough, Hopewell Borough (which gets about 40% of its water from NJAW), Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Montgomery Township, Princeton, and West Windsor Township.
The water utility stated on Dec. 18 that they were aware of discoloration, odor, and taste changes that had been reported by customers in their Raritan system and surrounding areas and have conducted testing across sample sites throughout their supply, treatment facilities and distribution system.
