Published in the Asbury Park Press
By JEAN MIKLE
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
TOMS RIVER -- Residents and a citizens group have again questioned the safety and adequacy of Dover Township's water supply a week after a hot, dry spell caused United Water Toms River to activate a well that has elevated radiation levels.
United's Well 20 was turned on briefly last week to refill storage tanks that had been drained when customers used more than 20 million gallons of water a day for four straight days, United spokesman Richard Henning said.
The well has been off-line for most of the last 2 1/2 years because it contains elevated levels of radium-224, naturally occurring radiation. When the water is blended into United's system, the drinking water meets all state and federal standards, state and water company officials have said.
Tests of water within the drinking water system near Well 20 were completed by the state Department of Environmental Protection last Wednesday, and radiation levels of 8.2 picocuries per liter and 6.2 were found, below the state standard of 15 picocuries per liter.
But that did not placate Linda L. Gillick, who chairs the Citizens Action Committee on Childhood Cancer Cluster, and several members of the public who said they were not happy with the lack of public notification before Well 20 was turned on.
Dover resident Eva Scholfield asked Henning why United did not take out advertisements on local radio stations to let people know the well was being turned on.
"Isn't our community worth a few dollars?" she asked. "What is your plan?"
Gillick said she first learned the well had been turned on when she received a call from the Department of Health last Tuesday. She said before that time, she and other residents were unaware that the company was considering turning on the well because daily water demand had increased.
Without using Well 20, or wells 26 and 28, which help treat a groundwater contamination plume from the Reich Farm Superfund site, United has a capacity of 23.5 million gallons, Henning said.
Last Tuesday, the company's 45,000 customers used 22.8 million gallons, forcing United to activate Well 20 to replenish its supplies in storage tanks.
"These were record-heat days, as hot as anything that we'd get in July," Henning said.
He said the company was never close to using wells 26 and 28.
Ocean County Health Coordinator Joseph Przywara suggested that United Water send out information over the Internet when wells are activated, but Henning said he did not believe the company has electronic mail capability.
Henning said he would meet with Przywara after the meeting last night to try to work out a notification system.
Source: Asbury Park Press
Published: June 15, 1999
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