Dear Editor:
It is unfortunate that anyone who reads “A Message from Mayor Michael Soriano Regarding Parsippany’s Water Quality” may come away with a false sense of security about the water they are now drinking. The state’s problem with Parsippany’s water supply was never the levels of lead and copper present in the various sources of our water. The violation had to do with an unacceptable acidic pH of the water being distributed.
In itself, acidic water is not harmful. However, as it travels in pipes to and in your home, lead and copper can be dissolved into the acidic water, so that the final product that you drink can have unacceptable levels of these elements. There is a reason why the letter that we received in the mail this week advised us to “Run water for 15-30 seconds to flush out lead and/or copper”.
As the mayor correctly pointed out, Parsippany’s water is in compliance with N.J. State Secondary Drinking Water Standards. But at the same time, our water failed the pH standards set by the Optimal Water Quality Parameter monitoring program, i.e. our water was unacceptably acidic, which could result in lead and/or copper corrosion and release into our drinking water. Maybe this isn’t an emergency, but it is certainly something to be concerned about.
The mayor’s message also gives overly optimistic hope that the water problem has been solved as indicated by the statement, “Once the sampling methods were corrected our pH readings returned to optimal levels”. I can unequivocally tell you that my water is still acidic. This afternoon (July 14), I tested a sample of brand-named bottled water and a sample of my tap water using a pH meter. The former registered at a neutral 7.0, while my Parsippany water registered 6.5 (acidic). Clearly, I still have a problem. I would advise every resident to check the pH of their own water. A pH meter is easy to use, cheap and can be obtained at any Home Depot or garden store.
Bob Venezia
Morris Plains (Parsippany)
