The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has traced the changes in smell and taste of drinking water in the N.J. American Water's Raritan Division since Dec. 17 to a leak from a repackaging facility in Branchburg, the utility announced Monday afternoon.
The DEP said the initial results of its investigation attributed the changes to a Dec. 17 leak from an unnamed facility in Branchburg that repackages fragrances, essential oils, and flavorings. The leak found its way into a tributary of the Raritan River, according to the DEP.
The material in the leak consisted of compounds, most notably alpha-pinene, which are commonly used as fragrance and food additives.
Because of the fragrant nature of the compound, it can be smelled at minute concentrations measured in parts per trillion (ppt), according to the utility. For context, 1 ppt is equivalent to 4 drops of liquid in the amount of water that would fill Rutgers University's SHI Stadium.
Though detection levels of the compound are infinitesimal, utility customers may continue to notice the taste and odor over the next several days.
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New Jersey American Water began receiving customer complaints about changes in taste and odor in the water late in the evening on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The company began to investigate and performed sampling and testing from the source water, different points in its water treatment plants, and sites throughout the distribution system.
New Jersey American Water adjusted its treatment processes and began hydrant flushing across the system.
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"We are grateful to the NJ DEP for their collaboration and diligence in investigating the cause of this issue that has resulted in both of our teams working around the clock and our customers concerned about the safety of the water," said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. "We understand our customers' frustration, and we look forward to the prompt resolution of this problem. New Jersey American Water will continue to monitor water quality in cooperation with the DEP and provide any additional updates to customers via its customer notification system as well as a dedicated webpage for this issue, njamwaterwaterquality.com, which includes a form for customer inquiries."
New Jersey American Water continues to monitor water quality. Laboratory testing indicates that the water leaving New Jersey American Water's two Raritan system treatment plants meets state and federal primary drinking water standards.
"Providing safe drinking water to our customers is our foremost priority," McDonough said. "Since Tuesday, Dec. 17, our teams have worked tirelessly, collecting hundreds of water quality samples around the clock throughout our system to help address the cause of the changes in taste and odor. Our proactive measures to adjust our treatment process and flush our system have allowed us to continue to provide water to our customers that meets state and federal drinking water quality standards, despite these challenges."
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