New Jersey
Winter to blame for salty tap water taste in Rahway, N.J., company says. Here are measures that should be taken.
Residents in Rahway, New Jersey say their water tastes salty and they’re concerned.
Veolia Water Rahway, which serves the city, says routine winter snow removal measures are to blame, specifically elevated chloride levels from road salt runoff.
“Snow and ice control treatments along roadways impact the city of Rahway’s water supply, the Rahway River. This year’s weather has produced chloride levels not previously seen,” the company said.
Salt in the water is not harmful to most, company says
Resident Darren Levine said he has been testing the water. He showed CBS News New York a video that describes what he found.
“This year, I went on Amazon and bought a basic water tester. It tests for TDs, total dissolve solids, and if you look at the EPA, they seem to say the upper limit should be 500 and ours yesterday morning was over 1,700,” Levine said.
Veolia said it’s implementing corrective measures and supplementing drinking water from an alternate source, but added the state’s Department of Environmental Protection says the salty levels don’t pose a health threat to most people.
However, the city went on social media to provide some guidance.
“If you are on a low-sodium diet, you may want to consult with your physician,” it said.
The water company said it will continue supplementing its water until chloride levels drop because even though the water is treated, chlorides can’t be fully eliminated.
Residents, businesses turn to bottled water, filtration systems
Residents told CBS News New York the current problem has been happening since January, but added they’ve had to deal with the odd taste for several years.
“I feel like this happens all the time in the winter. I guess when they salt the street just the runoff goes into our regular drinking water, but you can really taste it and we have a filter, but even that wasn’t helping,” Charlene Darko said.
Shower and sink water, she said, also worries her.
“I haven’t quite taken to using bottled water for my face, but I think if it continues a little longer I might have to because it’s a lot of salt and it’s harsh,” Darko said.
“I don’t drink tap water anyway. We’ve had too many issues,” resident Patience Opola said. “We usually buy bottled water or we get the gallons delivered to our house.”
“I am pretty quick to use the water bottle system because just as much care as I put in myself I put in my dog,” resident Mike Marquez added.
Businesses in Rahway are also trying to make sure their water doesn’t taste salty.
“The water here at Coffee Box is extremely filtered. We use like this very high-end reverse osmosis system,” employee Elijah Herega said.
How to protect your NJ home from wind: Video
Here’s how to windproof your home to minimize damage, and what to do if a tree falls on your property as a result of the weather
A severe thunderstorm watch looms over North Jersey on the evening of June 12 after days of extreme heat.
Nation Weather Service New York declared a severe thunderstorm watch for numerous North Jersey counties including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Morris and Sussex among other Central Jersey and New York counties. The watch is in effect until 9 p.m., according to the NWS statement.
In an hourly forecast from The Weather Channel for Paramus, there is a 74% chance of thunderstorms at 7 p.m.
High temperatures reached past 90 degrees in many parts of North Jersey on June 11 and June 12 as a heat advisory also remains in effect until 8 p.m., said NWS New York.
“Dangerous heat is expected to continue across much of our region through today, with several record highs likely to be challenged again. High temperatures are forecast to peak into the low to mid 90s across most of the area,” the National Weather Service said Friday.
A Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. across the state except for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
PHILADELPHIA – Philip McPherson II, a 37-year-old from Riverside, New Jersey, was sentenced Thursday, June 11, to 78 months in prison for his role in a 2022 plane crash in Lehigh County that killed a student pilot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sentencing and charges for fatal Lehigh Valley crash
What we know:
United States District Judge John M. Gallagher sentenced McPherson to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, a $4,300 special assessment, and $19,530 in restitution. Judge Gallagher also barred McPherson from working in the aviation industry.
McPherson pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of an administrative proceeding, and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate.
The backstory:
Court filings show that on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off from Queen City Airport in Allentown as the pilot-in-command with student pilot K.K. and crashed shortly after, resulting in K.K.’s death.
Prosecutors said McPherson acted with gross negligence, knowing he was not competent to fly as pilot-in-command. He had two prior crashes, nearly a third, and failed a reexamination for his pilot’s certificate in September 2021.
McPherson voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate in October 2021 and let his Temporary Airman Certificate expire in November 2021, acknowledging his inability to meet FAA standards.
He admitted to flying with passengers without a valid FAA pilot’s certificate between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, FAA, and Salisbury Township Police Department worked on the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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