Recent Notices & Statements

American Water Resources

Sparta Township has been notified that water customers may be receiving direct correspondence from a company called American Water Resources. The Township understands that the purpose of the correspondence will be to offer "optional" water service line insurance plans to public Water Utility customers. Please be advised that the product that American Water Resources is advertising is an independent offering from a private firm not affiliated with the municipality. Sparta Township has not endorsed American Water Resources nor have we partnered with this company in any way.

American Water Resources is focusing on coverage for the portion of the customer's service pipe that is not the responsibility of the Water Utility. In an effort to eliminate any confusion, Chapter 19 of Sparta Township ordinance defines water service pipe responsibility as follows; "Any necessary changes in the piping between the curb and the premises which are due to corrosion or otherwise must be made by the property owner at the owner's expense. This would also include valves and meter yokes within the premises and all other materials to replace and/or increase the water supply. All of this work requires a plumbing permit and shall be done under inspection and approval of the Plumbing Inspector."

A decision to partner with American Water Resources for their service line maintenance offerings is solely at the discretion of each individual homeowner. However, should Water Utility customers have questions or concerns regarding water service lines and the limits of their homeowner responsibilities, please feel free to contact the Sparta Water utility office for clarification.

Chromium-6 Articles / Report Statement

The source of the recent articles circulating regarding Chromium-6 in the Sparta Water Utility's drinking water is a study performed by an advocacy group that elected to develop its' own contamination levels, rather than utilizing actual Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Drinking water standards. The federal agency (EPA), which governs our water regulations, has a maximum contaminant level (MCL) set for Total Chromium at 100 parts per billion (ppb). The advocacy group generated their findings by establishing their own MCL at 0.02 ppb rather than utilizing the established federal regulations. The level of Chromium in Sparta Water Utility's drinking water is, in fact, well below the current EPA standard of 100 parts per billion (adopted by New Jersey). Sparta Township has 31 active wells and our Unregulated contaminant sampling results yield Chromium levels ranging from approximately 1 ppb to non-detectable. As such, the water is perfectly safe for customer consumption. In comparison, Sparta Water Utility's testing results would be well below California's standard for Chromium (the lowest adopted standard in the U.S.) of 10 parts per billion. There is certainly no reason for our customers to be worried about Chromium-6 contamination in their drinking water. If you have any questions on this matter, please contact the Water Utility Office at 973-729-7133.

Also, should you wish to learn more about Chromium, we encourage you to visit the EPA's information page.

Response to Uranium Contamination Claims

The Sparta Water Utility is aware that a recent mailer from a law firm, alleging that there is Uranium contamination in Sparta Township's public water system, is being distributed through the U.S. Postal Service and it is creating concern amongst our customers. The water distributed through the Sparta Water Utility is 100% compliant with State Drinking Water Standards and is safe to consume.

In 2004, six wells serving approximately 600 homes in the Byram/ Seneca Lake section of Sparta's system tested positive for Uranium, an element that is naturally occurring. These wells were immediately taken out of service and Sparta's sampling protocol and subsequent response to the test results complied with Drinking Water Regulations. The customers that were impacted by these wells received direct public notification eight years ago when this issue arose. In addition, Sparta Township hosted a well-attended Public Information Meeting on March 24, 2004 at which time Sparta Personnel gave a presentation regarding the Uranium testing and the expedited actions being taken by the Township to address the situation. The Uranium wells have never been returned to service and no additional wells containing levels of Uranium that exceed the drinking water standards have been discovered since 2004.

A majority of our customers (nearly 6000 homes) were never impacted by the 2004 discovery. Many of the customers that have been contacted are located on a completely different water system.

Regulations in Place

The Sparta Water Utility strives to provide each customer with quality drinking water on a daily basis. Our Utility operation is strictly regulated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). As stated, our Water Utility is in compliance with the NJDEP regulations. If there was a health and safety issue regarding our drinking water that impacted your home, then the Sparta Water Utility would notify each impacted customer as required by law. Rest assured, the water delivered by the Sparta Water Utility is in compliance with the applicable drinking water standards. Therefore, there is no cause for alarm.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the Sparta Township Water Utility at 973-729-7133.