Tuesday, April 9, 2013
South Orange is not the only community worried about EOWC: massive delinquency from East Orange Water Commission drives up taxes.
The Livingston Town Council introduced a 2013 municipal budget, which includes a tax increase to the average homeowner of 5.7% or $140.25. According to Township Manager Michele Meade, the increase is driven primarily by a tax delinquency from one taxpayer, the East Orange Water Commission (EOWC). The EOWC owes Livingston $2,403,063. The delinquency is so significant, according to Meade, that it alone will cost the average homeowner $101.51, a tax increase of 4.14%. South Orange and East Orange also have had troubles with the EOWC. South Orange residents remain concerned about water quality. East Orange residents are worried about the city’s water safety, lack of notifications from the East Orange Water Commission and possible financial …
Saturday, March 16, 2013
System will remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from water supply.
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Saturday, March 16
The following was posted on the South Orange Village website on March 16: As the culmination of South Orange’s nearly two year fight to ensure the safety of our water supply grows nearer, East Orange Water has committed to the installation of state of the art, comprehensive water filtration and purification systems to remove any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including trichloroethylene from the water produced from its wells. The EOWC made this commitment to the Special Master. (an independent attorney appointed by the Superior Court Judge to manage, oversee and expedite the litigation filed by South Orange against EOWC) EOWC’s commitment was made in response to the Village’s demands in our lawsuit against EWOC over water quality …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Residents can ask questions about the water
Village officials announced today that the meeting with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will be held on Tuesday, March 19th at 7:30pm in Village Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to help provide residents with accurate information regarding the safety of water in South Orange and answer any other questions residents have regarding EOWC. Joining the Village will be: Fred Sickels, Acting Director, Water Supply and Geosciences, NJDEP and Karen Fell, Acting Assistant Director: Water Systems Operations Element, NJDEP. The meeting will be recorded and made available on the South Orange website for those unable to attend. A similar meeting was held last week in East Orange. The meeting drews hundreds of residents worried …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
South Orange elected officials respond to indictments
South Orange officials Thursday released a statement. The statement follows: Dear Resident: You have undoubtedly heard or read of the indictment of high ranking officials at the East Orange Water Commission (“EOWC”), the provider of drinking water to South Orange. The news accounts of this event have referenced the presence of tetrachloroethene, a volatile organic compound (VOC), in the Village’s drinking water. It is the purpose of this letter to address and alleviate any concerns concerning the safety of our water, to advise you how these events evolved and what the Village has been doing and will continue to do to ensure the continued safety of our drinking water. Before I continue I must note: Water in South Orange is perfectly safe …
Two top officials of East Orange Water Commission, which serves South Orange, are charged with manipulating test results
Two top officials of the East Orange Water Commission (EOWC), which serves South Orange, have been charged with manipulating water test results, according to Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa. Harry L. Mansmann, 58, of Lawrenceville, executive director of the EOWC, and William Mowell, 51, of Wyckoff, the assistant executive director and engineer for the EOWC, have been charged with allegedly conspiring to manipulate the agency’s water supply by shutting down contaminated wells prior to monthly water tests in order to falsify results. The pair are accused of reporting lower levels of the contaminant tetrachlorethene (PERC), an industrial solvent used for dry cleaning and other purposes which is classified as a probable carcinogen. "The …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The levels detected do not rise to the level of a NJDEP violation, but are high enough to warrant diligent monitoring
On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the Village of South Orange released the following: Dear South Orange Residents and Business Owners, In March 2011, the NJDEP cited the EOWC for exceeding the allowable concentration of one volatile organic compound (VOC), tetrachloroethylene, in drinking water distributed by EOWC. In particular, the NJDEP’s Notice indicated that, based on twelve months of water samples collected from within EOWC’s system through the first quarter of 2011, the NJDEP had calculated a running annual average of 1.54 µg/L (micro-grams per liter) for tetrachloroethylene. The applicable NJDEP regulations require that the running annual average for tetrachloroethylene, not exceed the NJDEP’s maximum concentration limit (“MCL”) of 1 µg/L, …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
South Orange lifts their Notice of Emergency Relief against EOWC following the ruling.
South Orange has lifted their Notice of Emergency Relief against the provider of water for the town, East Orange Water Commission (EOWC), following a court order appointing a ‘special master’ in connection with the town’s pending litigation against the company. This is the latest in what has been an ongoing legal battle with the commission since June 2011 when South Orange and Newark filed suit. On October 14, the licensed operator of record for EOWC, William Mowell, was issued a suspension of six months and fined $17,000 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for his failure to comply with multiple requests for records. In addition, an inspection showed that wells had been turned on and off for unknown reasons…
Friday, October 28, 2011
Township alleges multiple recent wrongdoings by the water company.
Counsel for the Township of South Orange Village has filed a Notice of Emergency Relief against the provider of water for the town, East Orange Water Commission (EOWC). This is the latest in what has been an ongoing legal battle with the commission for several months. The town is asking for an overseer to be appointed in regard to EOWC’s treatment of South Orange’s water. On October 14, the licensed operator of record for EOWC, William Mowell, was issued a suspension of six months and fined $17,000 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for his failure to comply with multiple requests for records. In addition, an inspection showed that wells had been turned on and off for unknown reasons and that the sampling …
Marcia Worth
7:38 am on Monday, April 15, 2013
Hello: Yes, I'm working on a story now about this, combing thru court records. Briefly, the delinquency dates to 2009, according to Livingston officials. There has been legal action, some of which concluded in January. Stay tuned... thank you. more ›