| Dear Neighbors and Colleagues;
I write to update you on the MCUA’s
progress in addressing the main break in our sewage pipeline
at Boehmhurst and 6th Avenues in Sayreville. While the pipeline
break did not affect the safety or quality of drinking water
in any way, it set in motion a coordinated response that
will continue on a 24-hour basis until normal operations
for wastewater management are fully restored.
The timeline of
events to date can be summarized as follows:
Sunday,
March 2, 2003
- Site secured by local police and Office of Emergency
Service (OES) in the Borough of Sayreville
- The MCUA responds, with the Borough, County Health
Department and State Department of Environmental
- Protection implementing remedial measures to
assure the safety of the residences and roadway. This
included construction of a berm by the Borough of Sayreville,
to divert water to the nearby marshland.
- MCUA hires dewatering company to assist with sewage
pumping at break site
- Sewage plant loses an average of 4.5 million gallons/hour
of sewage during the first 24 hours
- Sayreville Fire Department washes down streets and
residents’ homes and driveways affected by sewage
overflow and neighbors were notified of potential health
hazards
- MCUA switches sewage flow to a backup line to stop
the flow from the damaged pipe and to limit the amount
of untreated sewage entering the Raritan River
Monday,
March 3
- 24-hour pumping of sewage out of the break area begins,
using 10 trucks, 100,000 gallons/hour transporting sewage
to MCUA treatment plant in Sayreville
- A letter is hand-delivered from MCUA and County Health
Department to the residents of impacted area
- MCUA spreads lime pellets on lawns and a small park
affected by sewage overflow; neighbors are contacted and
told who to contact with problems; assessment is made
by Borough officials
- Sewage leak contained at break site; DEP orders shellfish
beds closed until testing can be completed
- Backup system, working at full capacity due to melting
snow and rainfall, treats average of 100-110 million gallons
per day, but still bypasses a range average of 1.7 to
4.8 million gallons/hour
Tuesday,
March 4
- Sewage between shutoff valves and break point continues
to be trucked to treatment plan
- DEP and MCUA jointly call on residents and businesses
within service area to conserve water in order to reduce
strain on sewerage system
- Nijarian Associates hired to sample various sites along
the Raritan River to monitor impacts
- Backup system continuing but still bypassed an average
of 1.9 to 3.3 million gallons/hour
Wednesday,
March 5
- MCUA Representatives met with DEP, County Board of Health
and Borough officials
- Dewatering, truck transport and work by MCUA engineers
continues to expose pipeline break
- DEP gives permission to divert sewage to an to a stormwater
channel leading to the Raritan River
- By-passing of sewage ceased briefly during the 6:00
a.m. hour.
Thursday,
March 6
- Direct access to damage in pipe section is achieved,
allowing repair planning to begin
- Contractor places steel sheeting around affected area
of pipe
- MCUA meeting with contractor, Cruz Construction of Holmdel,
to assess repair schedules depending on different damage
scenarios
Our initial efforts
were aided by significant rainfall, which helped to dilute
the sewage and reduce the potential health hazard for the
community. However, the large amounts of precipitation in
the past week have also strained the capacity of backup
lines as rain and snow continue to enter storm drains in
significant amounts. Weather clearly continues to pose obstacles
to the people involved in all aspects of this response effort.
MCUA recognizes
the water quality issues in the Raritan Bay and the impact
they are having on the Shell Fish industry. The MCUA is
making every effort to maintain its operation to reduce
sewage bypassing the pump station. With good weather and
no precipitation, we should be able to contain the entire
flow of sewage coming to the treatment plant.
For the homes
in the community that were impacted by the sewage overflow,
the environmental engineering firm of Najarian Associates
has already begun preparing protocols for soil sampling
that will take place on the properties to ensure the safety
and quality of the soil. The local public park will be sampled
as well. Additional lime treatments will be administered,
in accordance with any future directives from the Middlesex
County Department of Environmental Health.
As daunting and serious as this challenge has been and continues
to be, it has also been a good example of how local, County
and State agencies should work together to respond to a
crisis. The Office of Emergency Service, the Sayreville
Police Department and Borough officials provided the first
response that was so critical to containing the potential
hazard early on. The County Health Department developed
and expedited the delivery of critical preventive measures
residents should take regarding possible contact with contaminate
water flows. DEP has closely monitored water quality in
the bays, while the MCUA has conducted its own water sampling
in the Raritan and at the site of the break. The MCUA and
DEP have been in constant interaction, and will continue
to exchange all available information concerning water quality.
We encourage you
to call us with any questions. Please do not hesitate to
contact us with any special concerns arising from this situation
at (732) 721-3800.
I want to acknowledge
the patience of those residents directly affected by the
break, and thank all those in our service area who aided
the response effort by conserving water and reducing the
excess flow of wastewater through our system. We will keep
you updated on further developments on a regular basis.
Very truly yours,
Richard L. Fitamant
Executive Director
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