Lead In Bloomfield: 3000 Water Filters ‘Working As Expected’

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Thousands of free water filters handed out in Bloomfield to protect residents against potential lead contamination are “working as expected,” township officials say.

Over the past year, the Bloomfield Health Department has distributed about 3,000 free, PUR water filters to residents. The township began handing out the filters in November 2018 after a test of 61 homes found 16 had elevated levels of lead and exceeded the "action level" of 15 parts per billion established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Most of the lead build-up was traced to the inside of homes, not Bloomfield's water mains, officials said.

• See related article: Bloomfield Hands Out Water Filters After Tests Show Elevated Lead

Bloomfield purchases its water from Newark, which it receives at three interconnections sites: Garrabrant Avenue, Grove Street/Bloomfield Avenue, and Broad Street/Bloomfield Avenue. All residents and businesses receive their water from one of these sites.

Independent testing of the township’s water at each of the three interconnection areas confirmed the water passes EPA guidelines for lead levels, meaning the issue is with the pipes through which water passes, particularly in older homes with plumbing fixtures that pre-dated 1986.

It's an issue that Bloomfield's neighbor, Newark, has been struggling with for years.

After Newark's announcement that thousands of free water filters may be coming up short helping the city cope with its ongoing lead contamination issues, Bloomfield officials began to take a new look at their own program. Mayor Michael Venezia immediately ordered a sample test at five homes with water filters to determine if the same issue was taking place in Bloomfield.

Last week, the results of those tests came back, showing that the filters are working as expected, Bloomfield officials announced.

“Primarily, these water filters have been given to residents whose homes contain older plumbing faucets and fixtures of pipes, which may allow lead to build up in the home,” Mayor Michael Venezia said.

“We tested our source water and tests showed it had no detectable lead. Water enters our system entirely lead-free,” Venezia continued. “In all five homes where filters were sampled, the unfiltered water exceeded 15 particles of lead per billion, the threshold the EPA has identified as safe to drink. In all five cases, after being filtered through township-issued PUR filters, the water dropped to below 15 particles per billion.”

On Aug. 16, Bloomfield town officials offered the following statement about the results:

“The test was performed at five locations. All locations were above the 15 ppb level. This week, the township tested those locations again without a filter, then a second test with a PUR filter.”

Location 1: Original Reading 45 parts per billion taken on 6/25/2019

• Unfiltered Reading 22 parts per billion taken on 8/13/2019
• Using Filter Reading 5 parts per billion taken on 8/13/2019

Location 2: Original Reading 18 parts per billion taken on 4/28/2019

• Unfiltered Reading 6 parts per billion taken on 8/13/2019
• Using Filter Reading 3 parts per billion taken on 8/13/2019

Location 3: Original Reading 16 parts per billion taken on 6/25/2019

• Unfiltered Reading 36.1 parts per billion taken on 8/12/2019
• Using Filter Reading 0.34 parts per billion taken on 8/12/2019

Location 4: Original Reading 16 parts per billion taken on 6/22/2019

• Unfiltered Reading 4.37 parts per billion taken on 8/12/2019
• Using Filter Reading 1.65 parts per billion taken on 8/12/2019

Location 5: Original Reading 34 parts per billion taken on 6/27/2019

• Unfiltered Reading 1.81 parts per billion taken on 8/12/2019
• Using Filter Reading 0.63 parts per billion taken on 8/12/2019

Bloomfield officials added:

“Residents are encouraged to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using these filters, which usually include replacing the filtration cartridge every 2 to 3 months, and never running hot water through them.”

Residents interested in having their water lead levels tested can call the Bloomfield Health Department at 973-680-4024 or visit 1 Municipal Plaza, room 111, Bloomfield.

Bloomfield officials will hold a public forum to discuss the findings of recent lead tests in the township's water connection systems and some local homes on Monday, Aug. 19.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the Civic Center at 84 Broad Street. Mayor Michael Venezia and Township Council members will be present, Bloomfield officials stated in a news release.

• See related article: Bloomfield, Belleville, Nutley React To Newark Water Woes

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