Water & Sewer
711 Broad Street, Florence, New Jersey 08518
(609) 499-2222 Fax: (609) 499-1779

Important Information

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas projection, mining or farming.

Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can, come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants, which occur naturally or the result of oil, gas production and mining activities.

	Special considerations regarding children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and others: children may receive a slightly higher amount of a contaminant present in the water than do adults, on a body weight basis, because they may drink a greater amount of water per pound of body weight than do adults. For this reason, reproductive or developmental effects are used for calculating a drinking water standard if these effects occur at lower levels than other health effects of concern. If there is insufficient toxicity information for a chemical (for example, lack of data on reproductive or developmental effects), an extra uncertainty factor may be incorporated into the calculation of the drinking water standard, thus making the standard more stringent to account for additional uncertainties regarding these effects. In the cases of lead and nitrate, effects on infants and children are the health endpoints upon which the standards are based.
	Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 parts per million is a health risk for infants les than six months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant, ask advice from your health care provider.
	Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have increased risk of getting cancer.
	Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population. It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home's plumbing. If you are concerned about lead levels in your home's water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Return to Water & Sewer Main Page