Mount Olive lifts boil water advisory for E. coli. Here's what to know

Kristie Cattafi and William Westhoven, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

MOUNT OLIVE — A boil water advisory was lifted after E. coli bacteria had been detected in two local water sources on Tuesday.

Several Mount Olive neighborhoods were affected until the advisory was lifted on Friday.

"Following an extensive water quality testing and in close collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Water Boil Advisory has been lifted and it is no longer necessary to boil your water before using," a message posted on the Township's website said.

The Mount Olive water and sewer department owns, operates and maintains 10 municipal water systems with approximately 4,700 service connections in a town with almost 29,000 residents.

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Even though the advisory was lifted, the following measures are strongly encouraged:

  • Run your cold water faucets for three to five minutes to flush your service connection and interior plumbing.

  • Empty and clean your automatic ice makers and water chillers.

  • Drain and refill your hot water heater if the temperature is set below 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Service connections with water softener/cartridge filters should be run through a regeneration cycle or other procedures recommended by the manufacturer.

Who's covered by Mount Olive boil water advisory?

In addition to the 10 municipal water systems, the township also owns and operates the Cloverhill and Wyndham Pointe wastewater treatment facilities in the Flanders neighborhood as well as three individual sanitary sewer collection systems located in the Flanders and Budd Lake areas.

The department is responsible for maintaining the infrastructures as well as installing and servicing water meters.

The affected areas under the boil-water advisory were:

Main Water System

  • Cloverhill Development & Sutton Park

  • Flanders Crossing

  • Mount Olive Manor

  • Regency at Flanders & Marveland Crescent Development

  • Overlook Apartments

  • Main Street & Park Place

  • Mountain Avenue

  • Laurel Drive

  • Chestnut Way and Red Maple Lane

Village Green Water System

  • Village Green Apartments & Stores

  • Mountain Ridge Development

  • Lucas Lane, Old Budd Lake Road, & Ringenbach Lane

What is E. coli?

Two of nine samples from two municipal systems, the Main and Village Green water systems, tested positive for E. coli, a bacteria that can indicate fecal contamination.

"That can be for multiple reasons," Mayor Joe Nicastro said of the results. "One can be rain runoff that had animal feces. It could be a lab error. But we want people to take precautions."

"E. coli are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes," the township advisory explains. "Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mount Olive lifts boil water advisory for E. coli