Borough of Watchung News

• Make Testing Your Well Water a Priority

  Heavy rains can contaminate your well

  As a resident of New Jersey, there are several times during the year when heavy rains and the potential for flooding can occur.  With this in mind, the Somerset County Health Department wants to remind homeowners with wells about the importance of regularly testing their drinking water. Heavy rains can bring flooding events in which contaminants present in surface water can affect the water quality of your well.

  While New Jersey’s Safe Drinking Water Act requires routine testing for public-water systems, owners of residential wells have sole responsibility for ensuring the safety of their drinking water, as well as consistently maintaining the well system to prevent any contamination.  

  The most common pollutant to affect wells after flooding is bacteria.  Some types of bacteria are present throughout the environment and occasionally can cause illness in healthy people.  Other types of bacteria, such as E. coli, are present in human and animal waste and can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps. Heavy rains and flooding increase the chances of bacteria contamination running off from roadways and farms and discharges from sewage treatment plants and septic systems.

  Somerset County residents from its 21 municipalities can obtain a do-it-yourself bacteria testing kit by contacting either the Somerset County Health Department at (908) 231-7155 or the Bridgewater Township Health Department at (908) 725-6300. It’s recommended that residents call ahead to confirm that testing kits are available. 

   Instructions for sample collection will be provided with your kits. All water samples must then be taken to the Bridgewater Township Health Department, located at 100 Commons Way in Bridgewater. The cost of testing well water is $10 for Bridgewater Township residents and $15 for non-Bridgewater Township residents.

   Finally, if flooding impacts your property, it’s important to take preventative measures when using your well after a flood.  Disinfecting your well by using household bleach is a good precautionary measure to kill any microorganisms.  Instructions on disinfection can be found at www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/pwdisinfection.pdf.  After disinfecting your well, you should wait between five and seven days before testing for bacteria to avoid a false negative test result.

   If you can’t disinfect your well immediately, make sure to use bottled water for drinking, cooking, ice makers and brushing your teeth.  You also can bring water to a rapid boil for one minute and cool it in your refrigerator before using. 

   For more information on disinfecting your well and well testing, as well  as information about other potential well problems, contact your local health department.   A listing of health departments can be found on the Somerset County Health Department website at www.co.somerset.nj.us/health/localhealth.htm. 

   

• Would you like to be a part of a Borough Board, Commission or Committee? Fill out the Volunteer Form to find out more information.

•  Watchung Resident Email Mailing List  * Please note that your email address and user information is secure and the only one who has access to the list of members is the list administrator. Sign up for the daily digest to receive only one email a day.

• Watchung Educational Foundation

• Watchung Adopted Land Development Ordinance

• IMAGES OF WATCHUNG!

  • The Watchung Historical Committee is pleased to announce that the book “Images of America, Watchung” is again available for purchase for $20.00.  This is a great collection of wonderful photographs and captions which provide a unique perspective of our town. A new project of the Historical Committee is now available for the first time. Bill Titus’s paintings, which hang in both the Police Station and Borough Hall, have been reproduced to make a beautiful color set of note cards.  Each set of note cards contains eight different paintings of scenes of old Watchung.  Each set costs $15.00.  Both of these items can be purchased at Borough Hall.  Make checks payable to the Borough of Watchung or bring cash.

• Community Pictures

  Resident Notice