UPDATE: NJ American Water Rescinds Voluntary Water Conservation Notice, Assures South Jersey Water Not Impacted By Chemical Spill

By: Follow South Jersey Staff

New Jersey American Water headquarters along the Delaware River in Camden. Photo credit: NJ American Water.

CAMDEN, N.J. — UPDATE: New Jersey American Water is lifting the voluntary conservation order that was put into place on Sunday evening for its customers in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties, according to a statement released late Tuesday afternoon.

“New Jersey American Water continues to reassure its customers that treated water from its Delaware River Regional Water Treatment Plant is not impacted by the chemical spill that occurred early Saturday morning from a manufacturing plant into a tributary of the river in Bristol, PA,” the statement read.

“As more time passes and all river samples continue to show no detection of contaminant, we are more confident in drawing source water as needed to replenish our reserves,” stated Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water. “We will continue to monitor and test the source water by our intakes to ensure it is appropriate for us to take in.”

Below is the original story.

Treated water from New Jersey American Water’s Delaware River Regional Water Treatment Plant is not impacted by the chemical spill that occurred early Saturday morning from a manufacturing plant in Bristol, PA, the company said on Monday.

The utility company said that they are monitoring the source water and performing water quality tests at various points in the treatment process and throughout the distribution system. 

NJ American Water has asked for voluntary water conservation in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties to limit non-essential water use until further notice.

“The reason we did this is to provide flexibility around the timing and the quantity of water we bring into the facility to treat and deliver,” stated Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water, in a press release from the company. “We have the ability to store large amounts of raw and treated water, and we are continuously monitoring and testing the source water in the river by our intakes before taking in more water to replenish supplies.”

McDonough added that state and federal agencies, and other water purveyors are also testing the river, including the area around the plant’s intakes. No contaminants have been detected, the press release stated.

The company said that they will issue a follow up communication when this notice of voluntary conservation is lifted. Updates will also be posted as they become available on the website at www.newjerseyamwater.com, under Alerts, and on the company’s social media channels, @njamwater.


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