Published in the Ocean County Observer
By ANDREW KLAPPHOLZ
Staff Writer
TOMS RIVER -- A Dover Township committeeman is calling for United Water to hold a public hearing to discuss environmental concerns regarding the local drinking water.
Last week, United Water, which supplies 95,000 area residents with water service, requested that their customers start conserving water by limiting the pressure while watering lawns. The restrictions were needed because two of the company's wells in Toms River are temporarily out of order and it hasn't rained in a while -- a combination that has limited the company's water supply of 21 million gallons a day.
While it still has yet to rain substantially in the past week, officials are now saying they are concerned with the possibility of utilizing a well with high radiation levels to stabilize the company's water supply.
"We need to have a public meeting where United Water states exactly what is going to be done and what the circumstances are," said Dover Committeeman John Furey. "More than anything, the public needs to be informed."
The company's Well 20 was turned on Friday to help refill storage tanks that have been drained during the recent heat wave, which set record high temperatures.
The well contains higher-than-normal levels of naturally-occurring radiation, but when Well 20's water is blended with the rest of United's drinking water supply, the water meets all federal and state drinking water standards, officials from the water company said.
"This is something that is concerning to people, when you're talking about levels of radiation that are too high," Furey said yesterday.
He added that United Water should be held accountable for any water shortages that arise, and said he's worried about a drought this summer.
United Water services Toms River, South Toms River, and the Holiday City and Silver Ridge Park sections of Berkeley.
Published on May 8, 2001
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