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PWSID NJ1605002

2025 Drinking Water Quality Report

Based on Data from the 2024 Calendar Year

PV

Date: 4/22/2025

Dear Passaic Valley Water Commission Consumers,

I trust this message reaches you in good spirits. As we look back on the past year, I am excited to present the 2025 Annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) containing 2024 Drinking Water Quality Report. This report underscores our dedication to ensuring that you have access to safe and dependable drinking water as we uphold our responsibilities as public stewards of health, community welfare, and economic development for both current and future generations.

In 2024, the Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) maintained compliance with all standards set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Our committed team consistently strives to ensure that your water is treated and delivered with exceptional care and precision.

PVWC consistently collects water samples from over 100 distinct locations each week, with certain sites having multiple samples. The frequency of collection varies, occurring monthly, quarterly, or annually based on seasonal requirements. On average, PVWC analyzes more than 1,000 samples each month. During this comprehensive monitoring, the organization tests for over 200 regu- lated and unregulated contaminants, ensuring that the drinking water supplied meets or exceeds both state and federal quality standards.

Here are a few key points of the CCR:

• Microbiological Contaminants – No E. coli was detected out of 2,632 samples.
• Lead and Copper: Regulated at the consumer tap (214 homes), 4 homes are identified with high lead value.
• Disinfection Byproduct (DBP): DBPs are formed when disinfectants like chlorine interact with natural organic materials in water, such as in chlorinated drinking water and chlorine-treated swimming pools. The most common type of DBPs are Trihalomethanes (TTHM).
  • TTHM: The test results show that the annual average is below the set threshold of 80 parts per billion (ppb) for the Maximum Contaminant Level.
• Disinfection Residual: Maintaining disinfectant residuals in the water distribution system is crucial for ensuring safe and clean drinking water.
  • Chlorine acts as a disinfectant residual to inactivate bacteria and some viruses that cause diarrheal disease. The highest running annual average falls below the established threshold of 4 parts per million (ppm).
• Source Water Pathogen Monitoring:
  • Cryptosporidium, a microbial pathogen commonly present in surface water throughout the United States of America and is mostly non-detected in our water system.
• Table of Detected Contaminants: There have been no violations, and all the results obtained are below the Maximum Contaminant Level.
• Table of Detected Secondary Parameter: Secondary contaminants may not be health-threatening, but they can affect water aesthetics which include undesirable taste and order, and cosmetic effects which include skin or tooth discoloration.

PVWC will continue to provide you with timely and relevant information about your water quality and any potential concerns. In 2024, PVWC reported no violations from NJDEP regarding water quality parameters.

For any inquiries regarding this report on water quality, water pressure, billing, construction projects, or other matters, please reach out to our customer service department at 973-340-4300. Our operating hours, including the walk-up payment window, are Monday through Friday, excluding State holidays, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Our phone lines are available until 6:30 p.m. You may also contact us via email at customerservice@pvwc.com. For further information about PVWC, including important updates and alerts, please visit https://www.pvwc.com. Emergency services are accessible 24/7 by calling 973-340-4300.

We appreciate your ongoing trust and support. It is our privilege to serve you, and we are dedicated to delivering safe, dependable, and high-quality drinking water.

Sincerely,

James Mueller

Executive Director

This report covers water quality for the PVWC Main Service Area.

If your home or business is in Clifton, Paterson, Passaic, Prospect Park, or Woodland Park you are in PVWC’s Main Service Area.

PVWC is a public drinking water supplier owned by the cities of Paterson, Clifton, and Passaic. PVWC also owns and operates the Alan C. Levine Little Falls Water Treatment Plant (WTP).

For the majority of our customers in this area, drinking water from the Little Falls WTP is blended with drinking water purchased from the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission (Mixed supply). Water is sometimes supplemented through emergency interconnections from other water providers. like Newark’s Pequannock WTP and Jersey City WTP.

Our Source

PVWC withdraws water from the Passaic River in Totowa, New Jersey and treats it at the Little Falls WTP. In the event of water quality issues in the Passaic River, PVWC can also withdraw water from either the Pompton River or the Point View Reservoir. A water quality monitoring station is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey on the Passaic River shortly upstream of the Little Falls WTP intake and just downstream of the Passaic River’s confluence with the Pompton River. This monitoring station provides continuous data for important water quality parameters, and helps provide advance warning of adverse changes in water quality. PVWC also conducts a surface water monitoring program at various stream and river locations throughout the Passaic River watershed.

Susceptibility Chart Definitions:

Pathogens: Disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife. Common sources are animal and human fecal wastes. These contaminants may be present in source water.

Nutrients: Compounds, minerals and elements that aid growth, which can be either naturally occurring or man-made. Examples include nitrogen and phosphorus.

Pesticides: Man-made chemicals used to control pests, weeds, and fungus. Common sources include manufacturing centers of pesticides, and where they are used in agricultural, industrial, commercial, and residential environments. Examples include herbicides such as atrazine and insecticides such as chlordane.

Volatile Organic Compounds: Compounds containing carbon, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are products or by-products of industrial processes or petroleum production. They are typically used as solvents, degreasers, and gasoline components. These compounds may be present in source water as a result of releases from gas stations, fuel storage tanks, industrial facilities, stormwater runoff, and other sources. Examples include benzene, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), and vinyl chloride.

Inorganic Contaminants: Contaminants such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming. These contaminants may be present in source water.

Radionuclides: Radioactive substances that are both naturally occurring and man-made; may be present in source water naturally or as a result of oil and gas production and mining activities. Examples include radium, radon and uranium.

Radon: Colorless, odorless, cancer-causing gas that occurs naturally in the environment.

Disinfection By-product Precursors: A common source is naturally-occurring organic material in surface water. Disinfection by-products are formed when the disinfectants (usually chlorine ) used to kill pathogens react with dissolved organic material (DBP precursors) present in surface water.

Water Treatment

The Little Falls WTP is a multiple-stage advanced-technology treatment system designed and operated to provide a high degree of disinfection (for pathogenic microorganisms that can cause disease), removal of a variety of potential chemical contaminants, and treatment for aesthetic concerns such as taste, odor, and color. The treatment system uses four primary means for dealing with these contaminants, including two particle removal systems (high-rate sand-ballasted coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation, and filtration with granular activated carbon and sand) and two chemical disinfection systems (primary disinfection with ozone, and residual disinfection with chlorine).

The treatment system is designed and operated to handle the various water quality contaminants that may be present in a highly- developed watershed such as the Passaic River basin. Fluoride is not added to the water, but there are low levels naturally present in the water.

The NJDWSC’s Wanaque WTP draws its water from the Wanaque Reservoir in Wanaque, New Jersey.  The water treatment plant uses conventional treatment comprised of coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation, gravity filtration through sand and anthracite, and chlorine disinfection.

Uncovered Drinking Water Storage Reservoirs

PVWC operates three open drinking water reservoirs in Woodland Park and Paterson to provide storage capacity (the Great Notch Reservoir, New Street Reservoir, and Stanley Levine Reservoir). Treated water from the Little Falls WTP is pumped to these reservoirs, and that water is then withdrawn for distribution to PVWC’s customers. Unfortunately, since these reservoirs are uncovered, they are subject to bacteriological and chemical contamination from wildlife and other natural and man-made causes. As a result, the high quality of this already-treated water from the Little Falls WTP may be compromised. While the water withdrawn from the reservoirs is rechlorinated on-site to provide further disinfection, chlorine is not very effective against pathogenic microorganisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

Federal law requires that all uncovered drinking water reservoirs in the U.S. must be covered or have treatment applied beyond chlorination to ensure adequate disinfection. PVWC has entered into an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) with the NJDEP for closing these reservoirs in accordance with federal and state regulations. When implemented, those plans will help maintain the high quality of water provided by the Little Falls WTP and provide appropriate protection of public health.

PVWC has been removing lead from the water system since the 1980s and in July 2022 the company initiated a comprehensive construction contract to remove 6,500 customer-owned lead lines located in Paterson, Clifton, Passaic and Prospect Park. The replacement program is free for customers that live in homes with lead services lines in those cities. The $36M construction cost is covered through a low-interest loan by the NJ Water Bank that includes 77% principal forgiveness ($27M) that is not required to be paid back. Over 50% of the customer-owned lines in these areas have been replaced to date with the balance expected to be completed on schedule in 2025.

About This Report

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) imposes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administation regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is charged with monitoring compliance with those limits by water providers in the state.

All drinking water, including bottled water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or visit www.epa.gov/safewater.

The sources of drinking water, both tap and bottled, include surface sources such as rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs, and groundwater sources (wells). As water moves through the ground or over surfaces it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material. Water can also pick up substances resulting from the presence of human or animal activity. Contaminants that may be present in the source water include:

Microbial Contaminants - such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, pet waste and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants - salts and metals, which can occur naturally or result from urban storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas productions, mining or farming.

Pesticides and Herbicides - which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, stormwater runoff and residential uses.

Organic Chemicals Contaminants, includes both synthetic and volatile, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production and can also come from gas, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems.

Radioactive Contaminants, which includes can be naturally occurring or can be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING CHILDREN, PREGNANT WOMEN, NURSING MOTHERS AND OTHERS

Children may receive a slightly higher amount of a contaminant present in the water than do adults, on a body weight basis, because they may drink a greater amount of water per pound of body weight than do adults. For this reason, reproductive or developmental effects are used for calculating a drinking water standard if these effects occur at lower levels than other health effects of concern. If there is insufficient toxicity information for a chemical (for example, lack of data on reproductive or developmental effects), an extra uncertainty factor may be incorporated into the calculation of the drinking water standard, thus making the standard more stringent, to account for additional uncertainties regarding these effects. In the cases of lead and nitrate, effects on infants and children are the health endpoints upon which the standards are based.

Definitions of Terms in Table of Water Quality Parameters:

• Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.
• Parts per Million (ppm) or Milligrams per Liter (mg/L): A measure of the concentration of a substance in a given volume of water. One part per million corresponds to one penny in $10,000.
• Parts per Billion (ppb) or Micrograms per Liter (ug/L): An even finer measure of concentration. One part per billion corresponds to one penny in

  $10,000,000.

• Parts per Trillion (ppt) or nanograms per Liter (ng/L): An even finer measure of concentration. One part per trillion corresponds to one penny in

  $100,000,000.

• Picocuries Per Liter (pCi/L): A measure of radioactivity.
• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible, using the best available treatment technology.
• Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
• Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
• Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU): A unit of Turbidity measurement. The higher the NTU, the more turbid the liquid is.
• Running Annual Average (RAA): The average of all sample analytical results taken during the previous four calendar quarters.
• Recommended Upper Limit (RUL): The highest level of a constituent of drinking water that is recommended to protect aesthetic quality.
• Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
• UCMR MRL - EPA-established UCMR Minimum Reporting Level. The lowest concentration that laboratories may report to the EPA during UCMR5 monitoring.

Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium is a microbial pathogen found in surface water throughout the United States. Although filtration removes Cryptosporidium, the most commonly-used filtration methods cannot guarantee 100 percent removal. Our monitoring indicates the presence of these organisms in our source water. Current test methods do not allow us to determine if the organisms are viable or capable of causing disease. Ingestion of Cryptosporidium may cause cryptosporidiosis, an abdominal infection. Symptoms of infection include nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.

Most healthy individuals can overcome the disease within a few weeks. However, immuno-compromised people, infants and small children, and the elderly are at greater risk of developing life- threatening illness. We encourage immuno-compromised individuals to consult their doctor regarding appropriate precautions to take to avoid infection. Cryptosporidium must be ingested to cause disease, and it may spread through means other than drinking water.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons, such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to reduce the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

The Safe Drinking Water Act regulations allow monitoring waivers to reduce or eliminate the monitoring requirements for asbestos and synthetic organic compounds (SOCs). A monitoring waiver was granted for distribution system monitoring of asbestos in the PVWC Main Distribution System for the 2020-2028 monitoring period.

Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems.

Sources of Lead

Lead is a common metal found in the environment. Drinking water is one possible source of lead exposure. The main sources of lead exposure are lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust or soil, and some plumbing materials. Lead can also be found in certain types of pottery, pewter, brass plumbing fixtures, food, and cosmetics. Lead is found in some toys, some playground equipment, and some children’s metal jewelry. Exposure in the work place and exposure from certain hobbies can also be sources (lead can be carried on clothing or shoes).

Lead is not present in the water supplied to you. When water has been in contact with pipes or plumbing that contains lead for several hours, the lead may enter the drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon after returning from work or school, can contain fairly high levels of lead. Homes built before 1985 are more likely to have plumbing containing lead or lead solder. New homes may also have lead. Even brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those advertised as “lead-free” may contain some lead.

Water Testing

Routinely, homes known to contain lead service lines and/or plumbing components are monitored in PVWC’s. These houses represent a worst- case scenario for lead in water. Samples are collected after the water has been standing in the household plumbing for 6 hours or more.

A Lead and Copper Rule exceedance for lead occurs when more than 10 percent of these homes exceed the lead action level of 15 parts per billion.

In the most recent round of testing conducted by PVWC between July and December in 2021, 4 out of 132 homes exceeded the action level for lead.

For testing conducted between January and June of 2024, 4 out of 214 homes exceeded the action level for lead.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact us at 973-340-4300, customerservice@pvwc.com or visit our website at www.pvwc.com. For more information on reducing lead exposure around your home/building and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s resources below, or contact your health care provider.

EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 800-426-4791

National Lead Information Center: 800-424-LEAD EPA Website: www.epa.gov/lead

How You Can Reduce Your Exposure to Lead

1. Run your water to flush out lead. Run your cold water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking, if it hasn’t been used for several hours. This flushes lead- containing water from the pipes. Flushing usually uses less than one or two gallons of water and costs less than 30 cents per month.
2. Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
3. Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
4. Look for alternative sources or treatment of water. You may want to consider purchasing bottled water or a water filter. If purchasing a water filter, read the package to be sure the filter is approved to reduce lead. You can also contact NSF International at 800-NSF-8010 or visit their website at www.nsf. org for information on performance standards for water filters. Be sure to maintain and replace a filter device in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to protect water quality.
5. Test your water for lead. Call PVWC at 973-340-4300 to find out how to get your water tested for lead, or for a list of local laboratories that are certified for testing lead. Testing is essential because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in drinking water.
6. Get your child’s blood tested. Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about exposure. Your family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead.
7. Identify and replace plumbing fixtures containing lead. A licensed plumber can check to see if your home’s plumbing contains lead solder, lead pipes, or pipe fittings that contain lead. Your local building/code department can provide you with information about building permit records that should contain the names of plumbing contractors who plumbed your home.
8. Find out whether your service line is made of lead. 8. Find out whether your service line is made of lead. PVWC maintains records of PVWC-owned service line materials (water main to curb box) and customer-owned service line materials (curb box to building) located in the distribution system. PVWC has prepared and submitted to NJDEP an inventory of service line materials, which is updated on an annual basis. To review your service line materials records, access the current inventory online at https://www.pvwcleadserviceline.com/Or contact our Customer Service Department at 972-340-4300 for service line materials records. If the service line that comes from the curb box to your home is unknown material, you should determine whether or not the service line is made of lead. The best way to determine if the service line to your home is made of lead is by hiring a licensed plumber to inspect the line.

Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) is pleased to welcome you to our 2025 Water Quality Report. This report provides a summary of information collected during the calendar year 2024 regarding compliance monitoring required by both the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), as well as additional water quality monitoring data. We hope that you will take a minute to review this report and learn more about your drinking water.

Drinking water regulations require PVWC to provide this information to customers each year. Most of the language is required by the EPA and NJDEP to make sure that our ratepayers know what is in their drinking water. PVWC has tried to make this complex information readable and produce this report at a low cost.

For additional copies of this report contact our Customer Service Department at 973-340-4300, or customerservice@pvwc.com.

Commissioners

Rigo Sanchez, President, Passaic

Gerald Friend, Vice President, Clifton

Carmen DePadua, Treasurer, Paterson

Ruby N. Cotton, Secretary, Paterson

Jeffrey Levine, Commissioner, Paterson

Deborah Rizzi, Commissioner, Clifton

Ronald Van Rensalier, Commissioner, Passaic