Drink Verona's tap water with confidence

Verona produces 15 million gallons of water per month and has produced more than a billion gallons to date. Our Annual Water Quality Report and more than 1,000 water test show that we can drink our tap water with confidence. Enjoy Verona’s good quality municipal water. This is something we can all drink to!

An Australian town just banned bottled water, saving $2.5 million per year. In the U.S., first San Francisco banned it, then Chicago started taxing it and the city of Seattle signed an executive order to stop the city from buying it. It'll make a big difference; in 2007 that city spent $58,000 on the stuff (not including the carbon footprint of bottled water). The move is also a strong vote of confidence in the city's municipal tap water supply and treatment systems. It's good to see cities standing behind its tap water and encouraging its employees and residents to drink up. Many more are joining them.

Where does our water come from?
Currently Verona has cut in half the amount of water purchased from the Passaic Valley Water Commission since our hard water comes from local well usage. In the past the town had soft water when it relied on surface sources.

Why do we need an annual water report?
To comply with State regulations, the Town of Verona is issuing an Annual Water Quality Report describing the safety of your drinking water. The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect our drinking water sources.

Are there contaminants in our drinking water?
According to the new data Verona residents can drink tap water with confidence. We conducted more than 1,000 water tests for several contaminants during 2008. All contaminants such as chlorine and fluoride were found well bellow the accepted levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

What about lead?
Laboratory Manager Tim Newton reported that our municipal water was also tested for copper and lead levels at 30 different sites, with such good results that tests can be performed every three years instead of annually.

Should I take any special precautions?
The report shows higher levels of sodium; there are no adverse side effects associated with it but those in a sodium-restricted diet should be cautious.

Why should we save water?
Although our system has an adequate amount of water to meet present and future demands, saving water saves energy and some of the costs associated with it.

Conservation tips include:

• Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So load it to capacity.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. 
• Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it up and you can save almost 6,000 gallons per year. 
• Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank - watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl. It is not uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks. Fix it and you save more than 30,000 gallons a year.

PREVENTING WATER POLLUTION

Stormwater Runoff

• Purchase nonhazardous, biodegradable and phosphorous-free household cleaning products only.
• Do not over water your lawn and water during cooler times of the day only.
• Identify pests and use integrated pest management (IPM) methods to minimize chemical use in your garden.
• Applying fertilizer can lead to nitrate or phosphorus contamination of our water resources.
• Do not apply nutrients that your soil doesn't need; instead, test your soil first.
• Use pesticides only if you have a pest, and in that case choose natural products such as milky spore and nematodes.
• Avoid buying fertilizers containing phosphates because those chock waterways with pollution.
• Never apply fertilizers if the weather calls for rain.
• Reduce the need for fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides by planting more ground covers and less grass.
• Drought-resistant native plants require less fertilizer and less water, reducing the amount of polluted runoff.
• Pick up after your pet, animal waste contains bacteria harmful to our health.
• Never discard oil, gas, antifreeze or other unwanted chemicals into the street, sewer or the storm drain. Bring them to a household hazardous waste facility instead.
• Store hazardous materials properly to prevent spills.
• Dispose of unwanted medication properly.
  
• Do not hose off pavement washes pollutants into storm drains; instead, sweep up dirt and debris and discard in the trash.
• Avoid washing your car in your driveway, take it to a local car wash to reduce the running off of harmful pollutants.
• Never throw litter, debris or cigarette butts directly into storm drains or on the streets.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle materials whenever possible to create less waste, which could end up on our streets and contribute to stormwater pollution.
• Ask your local representatives to enact ordinances to regulate the outdoor application of fertilizer so as to reduce the overall amount of pollutants -such as phosphorus and nitrogen- entering waterways.
  

Peckman River Cleanup

        

The Peckman River originates in West Orange and flows northeasterly through Verona, Cedar Grove and Little Falls to its confluence with the Passaic River in the borough of Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson).

We organize an annual Peckman River Cleanup and Verona residents are always welcome to participate. Check our calendar for upcoming VEC's events.

During the last 2010 river clean-up Verona High School students removed about half a ton of trash. READ MORE HERE.

Would you like to see more pictures? Visit the photo gallery of the Peckman River Cleanup, Verona's own little river.