BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—Communities throughout Bergen County are urging Suez North America to speed up replacement of all utility-owned lead service lines—originally scheduled to take 14 years to replace—and “commit to an aggressive replacement program for all lead service lines the utility owns in as short a timeframe as possible.”
Englewood passed a resolution Feb. 19 calling on Suez to expedite replacement of lead service lines and Tenafly considered passing the same resolution.
“It’s a serious public health issue that Suez is responsible to address more forcefully,” said Englewood City Council President Katharine Glynn Feb. 20.
In addition, at least a half-dozen towns have previously passed similar ordinances and more are considering them.
The local officials’ request for action comes a month after the Haworth-based utility revealed high levels of lead in 16 of 108 samples taken from homes scattered throughout Bergen and Hudson counties.
The utility declined to specify where the homes were that tested high for lead.
“A replacement plan that takes more than a decade to address what is a public health crisis is untenable, irresponsible, unsafe and unfair to Suez North America customers,” reads the resolution approved unanimously by Englewood.
‘Hold…Suez accountable’
The resolution urges the NJDEP, state Board of Public Utilities, the state Legislature, and Gov. Phil Murphy “to hold Suez North America accountable and demand that they commit to an aggressive replacement plan for all lead service lines they own.”
Suez announced the high lead level results Jan. 16 at a news conference after receiving a letter of non-compliance with water quality standards from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Suez said about 5 percent of the utility-owned service lines contain lead and 15 percent of the system has lead goosenecks, which connect the water main to a service line.
An information sheet distributed by Suez advises customers to contact the NJDEP, local health department or a healthcare provider if concerned about lead exposure.
“Your family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead,” reads the Suez flyer.
Health officials note that lead is harmful to children even at low levels and accumulates in the body.
The utility has until March 7—60 days from receipt of NJDEP’s letter—to provide the state agency with a remediation plan and a replacement schedule for its lead service lines and goosenecks, which are short lines that connect service lines to the street water main.
Suez estimated at least 8,600 homes and businesses are served by utility-owned lead service lines, and said it’s investigating whether another 7,600 service lines are lead-based, according to published reports.
Suez previously said it serves approximately 200,000 homes and businesses in both counties and close to 800,000 individuals.
Suez said it would be announcing details of a more extensive replacement program for lead service lines that could cost the utility “tens of millions of dollars,” said Suez spokeswoman Debra Vial in a Jan. 31 statement.
She said the initial replacement priority would focus on towns with high numbers of lead service lines and more details will be announced soon, Vial said.
Suez customers notified
In mid-February, Suez was notifying its 200,000 customers of high lead level readings and actions they could take to find out if they are served by a Suez-owned lead line or a lead line that the customer owns.
Suez owns the line from the street water main to the curb line. From curb line to the home, the service line is owned by the customer.
“We have had a total of 5,044 customers call us to talk about lead since we began in January. On Tuesday [Feb. 19], we received 410 calls. This spike is because the DEP gave us permission to mail letters notifying customers and those are being received in the mail,” emailed Vial on Feb. 20.
“In total, 720 customers have requested to have their water tested. We added staff in late January to speed up the testing and lab process so our customers can receive their results more quickly.
“In the majority of cases, we are not finding any detectable lead in the water of our customers,” Vial said.
Suez officials said lead may be due to corrosion from lead service lines as well as plumbing fixtures and lead solder used in older homes.
Suez customers can find out if they are served by a lead service line by checking online at mysuezwater.com/njwq, visiting suezwq.com, or contacting customer service at (800) 422-5987 or sueznjcustserv@suez-na.com.
Suez said the water that leaves its treatment plant in Haworth to be distributed is lead-free but may become contaminated by a lead service line or by indoor plumbing or solder used on plumbing.
If lead service lines exist or lead is present, Suez officials recommend running the tap on cold for one to two minutes before using the water for drinking or cooking. Don’t use hot water for drinking or cooking, especially when making baby formula or preparing food for infants, they advise.
Getting the lead out
If a customer’s home is serviced by a Suez-owned lead service line that shows elevated lead levels in a water quality sample, Suez will provide the customer with a Brita water pitcher and filter that is estimated to remove about 99 percent of lead from water.
More information on water sampling is available by contacting Suez customer service or online.
Suez will be monitoring its corrosion control program for the next 12 months to prevent lead from leaching into the water, said the utility. Suez said its “ultimate goal is to remove all lead in the (water) system.”
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ5) previously told Northern Valley Press that he would press Suez to expedite replacement of lead service lines for customers whose water quality sampling shows elevated lead levels.
He called on Suez in late January “to address the threat of lead in our drinking water and the serious risks it poses for children and family in the local community.”
In late January, at least five Bergen County towns—Oradell, Teaneck, New Milford, Ridgefield and Palisades Park—approved a resolution demanding Suez expedite replacement of lead service lines.
Other towns are expected to pass resolutions demanding action on lead pipes, increasing public awareness of the potential health risks, said Oradell council president Tracy Schoenberg recently.
Schoenberg was behind Oradell’s resolution and the initiative to demand immediate action from Suez.
On Jan. 31, Vial noted the utility was “embarking on an aggressive effort to replace utility-owned lead service lines” and would be targeting towns with high numbers of such lines as well as planned road projects “so that we can replace service lines at the same time.”
No further information was provided by Suez on its expedited lead line replacement effort by press time.