Red Bank officials are looking into reports of brown tap water, but believe they know what’s causing it, Business Administrator Ziad Shehady said Wednesday.
The likely suspect is a combination of factors, Shehady said via email in response to a redbankgreen inquiry:
• the semiannual switch in sourcing, from New Jersey American Water Company to the borough’s own wells
• NJAW’s annual concurrent change to disinfectants called chloramines.
“The NJAW transition to chloramine treatment combined with our water supply transition causes a brief, temporary transition that is remedied by running the water,” he wrote.
The borough investigated a report of brown water over the weekend, and “confirmed” it was related to the switchover, Shehady said. Reports from “a different part of town” have since been received and are also being investigated, he said.
Officials “have no reason to believe there is anything else causing it, but we are investigating to be certain,” he said.
More brown water may soon be coming, too.
The transition from one supply to the other “is when we run hydrant flushing to clear out the sediment,” Shehady said. “We planned to do that this week, but it seems the increase in usage because more people are home now is going to force us to do this sooner.”
Shortly before noon, a more detailed explainer was posted on the borough website, which said the flushing would begin Wednesday.
In addition to all of Red Bank, the borough water utility provides water to 200 Fair Haven customers.
