By Nathan Mayberg
WEST MILFORD — Residents in the Awosting section of the town have gone without water sporadically over the last week as consultants to the Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) seek to locate a leak in the area’s water pipeline.
At press time on Thursday, the water was back on but the boil water notice was still in effect. In a recorded message to residents, the MUA said the water was restored as of Wednesday but they were still working on the final steps to clear up the issue that left the residents without water pretty much for a full week. They were utilizing underground photographic equipment to take photos of the system and get a better idea of what needs to be done to correct it. The results will not be available until Friday.
Along with the aggravation of losing access to water, there has also been dirty water, Awosting residents say.
Carol Hardy, chairwoman of the West Milford Municipal Utilities Authority, and herself a resident of Awosting, confirmed the situation on Wednesday.
A boil water notice has gone out to residents, Hardy said. She said some residents don’t have a lot of pressure and that outages have been “sporadic.” The water has been shut on and turned off as leak detection specialists from a Wayne company try to find the leak. Hardy said the work has been difficult due to the weather conditions.
“Everything is frozen,” she said.
Don Webb, an Awosting resident, said he lost water at times between Wednesday and Sunday. He had no water at all last Thursday, he said. Last Friday, it was trickling in the morning and went out again in the afternoon. Webb said he went to a friend’s house so he could have access to water.
Since Monday, he has had water but said it’s “very, very dirty.” Webb said he has to keep the water running for a length of time so that it is clean. That raises his water bill.
“The more you use, the more you have to pay for it,” Webb said. “I wouldn't wash my dishes” with the water, he added.
Boil Water noticeThe MUA issued a boil water notice last Thursday for Awosting. On its website it said “A water service interruption occurred last night and continued through today and was located this afternoon on Long Pond Road and was due to a water main break and an un-winterized, seasonal home pipe break. Repairs are currently underway and once completed the system will be restored.”
But the work continued for a full week.
The notice said that, as a precaution, tap water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute before being consumed or used even to wash fruits and vegetables and brushing teeth.
Water truck on siteThe MUA has set up a water truck with chlorinated water for Awosting residents to use, Hardy said. The situation has been limited to Awosting. The water truck is located on Windbeam Ave.
The dirty water is “to be expected” during a pipeline break, she added.
Webb said other residents on his block also went without water. This is the third time in the past year that there have been disruptions to water service in Awosting, he added. Since he moved to Awosting in 2001, Webb said there have been water issues almost every year.
Webb said the MUA should be more proactive about the water situation.
“I do think they are doing the best they can,” during the current emergency, he said. “I wish things were better than they are.”
Don Webb is a freelance photographer with the West Milford Messenger.