Should water suppliers be required to notify affected municipalities, school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools of violations of drinking water quality standards?
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Cranbury) and Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Ewing Township), recently advanced out of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee by a 5-0 vote, would make it a requirement.
In the event that a public water system was to violate any drinking water quality standard, the bill would require the owner or operator of the public water system to immediately notify the governing body of a municipality and the chief administrator of every school within the affected municipality. This notification would be disseminated by telephone and email.
“Drinking water can be contaminated in a number of different ways, whether that be from agricultural activities like farming or livestock operations, naturally occurring chemicals and minerals, or events like sewer overflow and storm water runoff,” Greenstein said. “Exposure to these contaminants, however, can lead to a number of different health issues, making it essential for water suppliers to notify those who are affected.”
The notification would be required to provide:
- The name of any contaminant that exceeds a drinking water quality standard;
- The maximum contaminant level or the action level, as appropriate, for the contaminant;
- The dates when the tests were performed and level of the contaminant found on each date;
- The location of each sample tested;
- The location of each sample tested that exceeds a maximum contaminant level or action level.
“This bill would update the current statute under the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act that requires water suppliers to give notice of the contamination to local municipalities, the NJDEP, and the Administrator of the EPA,” Turner said. “It aims to implement a notification system with more direct and timely reporting, ensuring the affected municipalities and schools can take action as soon as possible.”
Under the bill, S-984, the owner or operator of the public water system would be required to provide information or suggested remedies that a customer could take to address the violation.
