News & Noteworthy
MWA has Organized an Emergency Water Testing Program
Posted: September 30, 2011
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The Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) has organized an emergency water testing program to help residents test their drinking water after recent flooding. The organization has arranged for residents of the 24 municipalities in the watershed to receive a discounted rate of $50 to have their water tested for both Total Coliform and Nitrates. Testing will be done by QC Laboratories, a certified water testing company.
Most residents of the Musconetcong Watershed get their drinking water from private wells. Recent severe flooding in the region has the potential to contaminate wells. The MWA program will screen for two common contaminants, Total Coliform and Nitrates. Coliform bacteria are microbes found in the digestive systems of warm-blooded animals, in soil, on plants, and in surface water. These microbes typically do not make you sick; however, because microbes that do cause disease are hard to test for in the water, total coliforms are tested instead. If the Total Coliform count is high, then it is very possible that harmful germs like viruses, bacteria and parasites might also be found in the water. Health symptoms related to drinking water contaminated with bacteria generally range from no ill effects to cramps and diarrhea.
Nitrates are chemical compounds made from Nitrogen (N) and Oxygen (O). The nitrates in your well water can come from animal waste, private septic systems, wastewater, flooded sewers, polluted storm water runoff, fertilizers, agricultural runoff, and decaying plants. The presence of nitrate in well water also depends on the geology of the land around your well. Nitrates can cause a condition known as Blue Baby Syndrome (methemoglobinemia) in babies less than six months old as well as older people.
We have all undoubtedly heard of towns or cities where residents were told not to drink their water for a certain number of days or to boil their water first. If you have a private well, no one is ever going to knock on your door and tell you that your drinking water is unsafe. The responsibility for testing in communities served by private wells lies entirely with the homeowner.
If you’d like to have your water tested, you can pick up sample bottles and instructions at either the Hackettstown Municipal Building 215 Stiger Street in Hackettstown or the MWA River Resource Center located at 10 Maple Avenue Asbury, NJ.
· Sampling packet pick-up can be done during the normal business hours at both locations during the week of Monday, October 3rd through Friday, October 7th.
· Water samples and completed paperwork and a check for payment must be returned between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon to one of these two locations on October 11th.
For more information please call 908-537-7060 or email beth@musconetcong.org.
Residents should check with their municipal or county health department to see if free or lower cost programs exist. This program is open to all residents, MWA members and non-members alike.