The boil water order in Monmouth County has been lifted in all but 4 towns as reconstruction and repair begins  at the Swimming River Reservoir in Middletown.

temporary piping
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The only towns remaining under the order are Aberdeen, Highlands, Holmdel and Middletown. Outdoor water use bans still remain for all Monmouth County communities.

As the ban is lifted, New Jersey American Water has several suggestions for customers.

Run all cold water faucets in your home for one minute at one time at the highest flow rate that you can without causing splashing or flooding of drains.

To flush automatic ice makers, make three batches of ice and discard.

Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines specified in the owner’s manual.

Run drinking water fountains for one minute at the highest flow rate possible.

New Jersey American Water reports on their Facebook page the arrivals of 2  12-inch, temporary water lines are now being connected to 30-inch water main to distribute water to Middletown which could be in service later on Sunday. A 36 inch pipe that will take water from the Swimming River Reservoir into the treatment plant to be treated and then distributed to customers in Monmouth County is expected to arrive today as well from Alabama.

The county will again distribute water from 8PM until 10PM (or until supply is depleted)  at Middletown North High School, 63 Tindall Road in Middletown, Middletown South High School located at 900 Nut Swamp Rd in Middletown and at Wolf Hill Recreation Area, 3 Crescent Place in Oceanport. There is a one case limit per car.

 

Christie said at a press conference on Saturday attended by Townsquare Media reporter David Matthau that New Jersey American is working to divert water through other pipes but on a hot day Monmouth County uses 70 million gallons of water which a makeshift distribution system cannot provide.

All county residents are directed to discontinue nonessential outdoor water use and limit indoor use and Christie says after one warning police will be issuing tickets.

The Board of Public Utilities is conducting an investigation into the cause of the collapse of the pipes.

NO AMATEUR FIREWORKS

Governor Christie hands out water
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Christie also asked residents not to shoot off fireworks as the Independence Day holiday approaches as the water needed to put off possible resulting fires would stress the system.

“With the Independence Day holiday upon us, it is important to understand the risks of illegal fireworks,” Freeholder Director John P. Curley said. “Our current water emergency makes this even more critical.” Added Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, "Leave the fireworks displays to the trained professionals.”

New Jersey American Water Company customers are still urged to follow a boil-water advisory in 22 communities.

Middletown, Holmdel, Aberdeen, Highlands, Rumson, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Oceanport, Sea Bright, Tinton Falls, Shrewsbury, Long Branch, Eatontown, West Long Branch, Deal, Allenhurst, Loch Arbor, Neptune. Monmouth Beach, Lake Como, Shrewsbury and Ocean townships

In these communities the boil-water advisory pertains to residents, businesses and health care facilities. Affected businesses include hotels, restaurants and bars. The advisory means water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute and then cooled prior to use.

Mandatory restrictions remain in effect  for all Monmouth County residents including  no watering of existing lawns, trees, shrubs and gardens, no use of water for nonessential reasons, and washing cars is prohibited except at commercial car washes that recycle water.

The 3 pipes led to a water treatment facility in Middletown. New Jersey American Water  says they are working on temporary measures to restore normal operations at its Swimming River Water Treatment Plant. The plant delivers 36 million gallons of water each day to 55,000 customer accounts.

BOTTLED WATER STATIONS

Bottled water stations will be set up  from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday at the following locations:

  • Middletown High School North, 63 Tindall Road, Middletown Township
  • Middletown High School South, 900 Nut Swamp Road Middletown (also bring your own water jug to be filled at this location)
  • Wolf Hill Park, 3 Crescent Place, Oceanport

 

New Jersey American Water also recommends the following steps:

• Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes if made with tap water during the day of the advisory;

• Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking;

• Rinse hand-washed dishes for a minute in diluted bleach (one tablespoon of household bleach per gallon of tap water) or clean your dishes in a dishwasher using the hot wash cycle and dry cycle.

• Do not swallow water while you are showering or bathing;

• Provide pets with boiled water after cooling;

• Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water; most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from microorganisms;

• Use only boiled water to treat minor injuries.

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