Winter’s Impact on Water Quality

Answers to questions about “salty tasting water”

Each winter local road departments, commercial parking lot owners and homeowners use salt to melt snow and ice and to maintain road and other surface for safe traction. As the snow melts or when it rains or snows, salt can eventually make its way to nearby rivers and streams through run off. In some cases, these rivers and streams may also be the source for drinking water supplies. When this occurs, it can increase the levels of sodium and chloride in the source water, and when the concentration of these minerals in drinking water is high enough, customers may experience a salty taste to the water.

Your drinking water continues to meet all health based primary drinking water standards. For most individuals, the sodium intake from water does not pose a health concern, because a much greater intake of sodium takes place from salt in the diet. However, sodium levels above the recommended upper limit may be a concern to individuals on a sodium restricted diet. Customers with health questions are encouraged to contact their family physicians. New Jersey American continues to work with organizations dedicated to finding less impactful means of road maintenance. We apologize for this temporary condition and thank you for your patience.

Why does my water taste salty all of a sudden?
Several significant snow and ice storms in the past two months have required the application of salts to make our roads safer for driving and to provide safe traction on other surfaces such as parking lots and walkways. As the snow melts or when it rains, the salt applied to roads and other surfaces can eventually make its way to nearby rivers and streams through run off. When this occurs, it can increase the levels of sodium and chloride in the source waters for drinking water supplies. When the concentration of sodium and chlorides in drinking water is high enough, as we are experiencing in our Raritan and Passaic Systems, customers may experience a salty taste to the water. Although this does not pose a human health concern for most individuals, it can affect the taste of drinking water.

Where are customers experiencing salty tasting water?
Some customers who obtain their drinking water from the Raritan River Basin or the Passaic River Basin have experienced changes to the taste of the water. These include customers in the following counties: Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset and Union. Conditions vary depending upon runoff conditions and not all customers within these counties will experience a change to the taste.

Are sodium and chloride levels regulated?
At present there are no health-based Primary Drinking Water Standards for sodium or chloride under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act or in New Jersey. Secondary Drinking Water Standards are related to aesthetics (in this case the taste) of drinking water. The EPA has set a recommended upper limit of 250 mg/L for chloride and 50 mg/L for sodium.

Is my water safe to drink?
Your water continues to meet all health-based primary drinking water standards. The higher concentrations of sodium and chloride that we are experiencing do not pose a human health concern for most individuals. A much greater intake of sodium takes place from salt in the diet. Elevated sodium levels may be a concern to individuals on sodium restricted diet. Customers with health questions are encouraged to contact their family physicians.

What are you doing to promote more environmentally-friendly means of salting roads?
New Jersey American Water continues to work with organizations dedicated to finding less environmentally impactful means of road maintenance. For example, New Jersey American Water sponsored a Ground Water Summit conducted by the Ground Water Protection Element of the Passaic River Coalition in October 2010 which focused on "Road Salt Application and Storage Practices for Municipal Officials".

Can you doing anything at the treatment plants to lower the levels of salt in the water?
Sodium and chloride are not typically removed by common water treatment processes. However, when these events impact surface water supplies, we utilize more of our groundwater supplies where feasible.