Nyack Water Does/Did Not Meet Treatment Requirements

Our water system recently violated a drinking water requirement. Although this situation does not require that you take immediate action, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we did (are doing) to correct this situation.

Not Enough Disinfection During Treatment - In order to ensure proper disinfection, water in the treatment plant must be in contact with enough chlorine or a similar disinfectant for a minimum amount of time. On multiple days in December 2024 and January 2025, this did not occur. Although chlorine quickly kills most bacteria, it is less effective against organisms such as viruses and parasites. For this reason, water needs to mix with chlorine for a longer time period to kill such organisms. The amount of time necessary, or the “contact time,” depends on the amount of disinfectant in the water and the temperature of the water.

What should I do?

• There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

• If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your healthcare providers about drinking this water. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available on the EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water Website at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water.

What does this mean?

This is not an emergency. If it had been, you would have been notified within 24 hours. Tests taken during this same time period did not indicate the presence of bacteria in the water.

*Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.*

These symptoms, however, are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.

What is being done?

The Village is working with the Rockland County Department of health to ensure that this situation is not repeated. Treatment guidelines have been provided to the Village to ensure proper disinfection is accomplished during seasonal water quality variations. Nyack Water is conducting regular training on disinfection protocols and update standard operating procedures. We sampled and are sampling disinfectant levels and have adjusted and will continue to adjust the amount of disinfectant added as necessary to maintain adequate levels.

For more information, please contact Thomas Lynch at 845-358-3734 or mailing address of 9 North Broadway Nyack, NY 10960. You can also contact the Rockland County Department of Health at 845-364-2595

*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*

This notice is being sent to you by the Village of Nyack Water Department. State Water System ID#: 4303666.

Date distributed: 2/28/25.