April 14, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 9 Ridgewood Ridgewood Water urged: Improve notification process by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council told Ridgewood Water Company Director Frank Moritz to improve the notification process in the event of water emergencies after a number of residents from Ridgewood and other towns the company serves told the council they did not learn of a recent “boil water” order until long after the order was given. Affected residents were required to boil any water before using it for drinking or cooking purposes. “Events such as this unfortunately do happen,” said Ridgewood Mayor David Pfund. “Hopefully, they won’t happen again.” “It’s always unfortunate when this happens, but it’s not unusual in the water industry that it does happen,” Moritz told the council at last week’s work session. “I would think that the overall amount of people did get notified.” “I would like the water department to submit their review to us,” Deputy Mayor Keith Killion said. Councilman Paul Aronsohn also asked for a protocol on emergency notification. “Hopefully this will be a learning experience for us,” Aronsohn said. Moritz outlined the boil water alert from start to finish. On Friday, March 26, a Ridgewood Water Company work crew accidentally shut off water pressure to a section of pipe on Cottage Place because the crew members did not realize that a valve that had been shut off during Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999 had never been reopened. The loss of pressure made notification of the Department of Environmental Protection mandatory, and the DEP told Ridgewood to issue a boil water order until the water quality could be evaluated for possible bacterial contamination due to lack of pressure in the pipe, which could have fostered penetration by contaminated ground water. No bacterial contamination was found, but the “all-clear” was not sounded by reverse 911 until Monday. Notification included reverse 911; notices in some public buildings, including the Ridgewood Public Library and the YMCA; 1010 WINS radio announcements; and carts with illuminated lettering in Ridgewood and Glen Rock, both of which were comprehensively subjected to the boil water order. A small section of Wyckoff and a small section of Midland Park were also in the same grid, but most of those municipalities were not subject to the boil water notice. Moritz said that some residents may not have received notification by reverse 911 and urged them to sign up immediately for future notification with the Ridgewood Water Company. He said this request would be printed on the next water bill. Killion said that in any future emergency, police cars with loud speakers could be asked to circulate the warnings and that Channel 77 and computer notification could also be employed. The Wyckoff Township Committee, at a work session the previous night, had expressed dissatisfaction with the way the notification had been handled in that municipality. Wyckoff Township Committeeman Brian Scanlan personally passed out leaflets and contacted residents in the affected section of Wyckoff. The Wyckoff Township Committee members said they hoped to reach out to Glen Rock Borough Council members and arrange a joint meeting with Moritz to ask for a detailed explanation and to prevent future recurrences. After school programs announced This May, two after school programs for middle school students will be offered at the Stable by the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation. These classes are offered to students in grades four through eight. Charcoal drawing and pastel painting will be offered on Mondays from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. beginning May 10. From drawing basics to free interpretation, each student will receive personal attention from start to finish. The cost is $50 for five classes. A list of materials to purchase will be provided at registration. A digital photography class will be available on Tuesdays from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. beginning May 4. This interactive, hands-on course will include new and exciting ways to look at the world through a camera lens. 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