New Jersey American Water is now lifting the voluntary conservation order that was put into place on Sunday evening for its customers in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. The voluntary restriction was put in place due to a chemical spill on a tributary to the Delaware River located in Bristol, PA.
According to information released on the chemical that was spilled, it was about 8,100 gallons of a water soluble acrylic polymer solution. Samuel Manka, a marine science technician with the U.S. Coast Guard said, “It’s like the material you find in paint,” said Thomas. “It’s your typical acrylic paint you have in your house, that’s what really this material is, in a water base.” The company responsible for the chemical spill is Trinseo.
According to a press release the voluntary conservation notice for customers is being lifted because the company is able to replenish its source water supply more.
“As more time passes and all river samples continue to show no detection of contaminant, we are more confident in drawing source water as needed to replenish our reserves,” stated Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water. “We will continue to monitor and test the source water by our intakes to ensure it is appropriate for us to take in.”
— By Karen E. Viereck, Editor/Publisher
