CRJ Contracting Corporation of Plainfield is in the process of constructing interconnection between borough water supply and New Jersey American Water Company
By Aleen Crispino
Hopewell Borough Councilman David Mackie said Monday that an "odd analytical result" had been found in tests for water contaminants in two wells located on Burton Avenue.
In his report to Hopewell Borough Council, Mr. Mackie said: "They pulled a second sample and it was OK. We will report it to the DEP (NJ Department of Environmental Protection)."
In a telephone interview, David Misiolek, director of water and sewers for Hopewell Borough, who had left the meeting before Mr. Mackie made his report, said the first test, taken in late October, found traces of tetrachloroethylene, classified by NJDEP as a volatile organic compound (VOC). It is a common contaminant, said Mr. Misiolek, in use many years ago as a septic degreaser.
Results of a subsequent test performed the second week in November, and received by the department two weeks ago, measured levels of tetracholoroethylene in the wells, No. 2 and 5, as "undetectable," said Mr. Misiolek. He attested that the results of both tests would be reported to the NJDEP at its upcoming yearly compliance inspection.
Mr. Misiolek attributed the discrepancy between the tests to laboratory error. A third test is planned "after the first of the year," he said. However, the results will no longer be relevant then as the Burton Avenue wells will cease being used at that time, he said, due to a prior "radiological problem."
In a letter to residents dated Sept. 30, 2005 and posted on the borough Web site, Mr. Misiolek reported that levels of radionuclides "above the federal drinking water standard" had been found in test results received by the Hopewell Borough Water Department in May 2005. The letter states, "NJDEP has advised us that this is not an immediate health risk."
The borough has signed an agreement with New Jersey American Water to replace the water supply currently provided by the Burton Avenue wells, said Mr. Misiolek, beginning in January 2006 when the Burton Avenue wells are taken off line. New Jersey American Water is a subsidiary of American Water, based in Voorhees.
CRJ Contracting Corporation of Plainfield is now in the process of constructing the interconnection between the borough water supply and New Jersey American Water Company. This includes digging an underground vault to hold pipe work, valves and detection equipment to support the new service, said Mr. Misiolek.
The Water Department initially suspected this digging as being the source of a leak of an average of 80,000 gallons of water a day, which the department had detected by pumpage readings beginning Nov. 29, Mr. Misiolek told council on Monday.
The company had begun its excavation only the day before, he said, adding that the Water Department inspected the site and that no leak was found. Efforts to detect the source of the leak have been hampered by the amount of groundwater, which muffles the sound of water leaking from pipes, Mr. Misiolek explained.
There is "no relationship at all" between the water leak and the anomalous test finding of tetrachloroethylene, said Mr. Misiolek.

