Middlesex Water Company Issues Boil Water Advisory for All of Carteret

The Company is advising its customers in all of Carteret and on the affected streets in the area of Port Reading to heed the following advisory for the next 48-hours:

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requires us to issue the following advisory:

The Department of Environmental Protection has determined that a potential or actual threat to the quality of water being provided to you currently exists. Therefore Customers are being advised to boil their tap water used for drinking for a period of one minute, let cool, and to do so before drinking immediately and until further notice. Customers should boil their water for the following: drinking, cooking or baking, making ice cubes, taking medication, brushing teeth, washing food, mixing baby formula or food, mixing juices or drinks, feeding pets and all other consumption. Water does not have to be boiled for the following activities: showering, washing dishes or clothes.  Please continue to boil your water until you are notified that the water quality is acceptable.

Individuals with severely compromised immune systems, infants, or the elderly may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

Please note that this is a standard procedure whenever a treatment failure occurs which may compromise the quality of your drinking water.  Middlesex Water will provide information as to when the advisory is lifted.

Updates will be posted on the company’s website under Service Alerts and Latest News at www.middlesexwater.com, on the Company’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MIDDLESEXWATER and via Twitter.  Customers seeking more information may also call the company at 800.549.3802.

Middlesex 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.

AFFECTED STREETS IN PORT READING ARE LISTED BELOW: