Tap water in town smells and tastes "normal" again after an issue caused changes in its chlorine levels this past weekend.
A turbidity issue occurred on Saturday morning in a basin at the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission’s treatment plant in Wanaque, where Montclair gets most of its water from, according to Gary Obszarny, a licensed water operator for the Montclair Utility Department.
The turbidity issue lowered chlorine residual in the water, which gave it an unpleasant taste and caused it to smell like bleach, said Obszarny.
As the issue was being resolved, the water supply commission increased the chlorine to ensure the water was safe to drink, Obszarny explained.
Township residents started to notice the difference in smell and taste on Sunday afternoon and evening, since there is a delay from when the water leaves the treatment plant and is pumped to Montclair.
Some people complained to the municipality, according to Obszarny.
"People get acclimated to a certain water quality, so they notice when something is off," Obszarny noted.
No boil advisory was issued because the water was safe, according to Obszarny.
"The water still had higher than normal chlorine levels on Monday morning, said Obszarny, noting the levels were 1.5 or 1.7 when they are normally 0.8 to 1.2.
"The water was unpleasing, but still safe to drink," he said, affirming that the water is back to normal now.