Water quality woes for resident of Earl Street
Borough officials say problems not connected to public system

CHRIS KELLY Patricia Brennan has taken to using only bottled water in her Earl Street apartment as she awaits the results on the water she sent to a lab for testing for bacteria.

RED BANK — Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink … or bathe in, or wash the dishes with, or any of the other mundane activities we so often take for granted.

Patricia Brennan, Earl Street, came back from vacation on Aug. 5 to discover something amiss that she suspected was stemming from the plumbing.

"Stuff was coming out of [the faucets]," she said.

The water pressure was weak, and the water from the faucets was brown and cloudy and, on closer inspection, contained something, even in the toilet, she noticed.

That something, she thought, might be mosquitoes, flies or some other insect larvae. "It’s disgusting to think those things are in it," she said.

Brennan said she let the water run for a couple of hours but found the water in the same condition the following day.

Brennan contacted the borough’s Department of Public Works and health officer and asked to have the situation investigated.

Joseph Buonacquista, the director of public works, said the water main in the area has been flushed, the water is being tested by a laboratory and the borough is investigating further.

Fred Richart, the health officer, visited Brennan’s home and concluded that the condition could be related to old plumbing that is comprised of pipes of different metals, such as copper and lead, connected to one another and to other galvanized pipes. The mixing of different materials could possibly lead to the contamination from corrosion, Richart speculated.

Some of the results of the borough’s testing have been returned and indicate no signs of fecal contamination in the borough’s water supply, according to Buonacquista.

Officials are awaiting other test results, he added.

Brennan said she has contacted an independent lab, JR Henderson Lab Inc., Beachwood, to study the water in her home.

Brennan has also been notified by her doctor that a recent test indicates she has entamoeba coli tropl and entamoeba coli cyst parasites in her system.

That type of bacteria can be transmitted in ways other than water, she acknowledged, but she said she is very diligent about the food she eats.

Brennan has had gastrointestinal problems in the past and takes various enzymes for that condition. She had a similar test done in May, but it did not show any of this type of bacteria in her system.

"I eat very healthy foods," she said. "I didn’t get this on vacation."

Brennan said she visited the Web site for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, which states those bacteria are transmitted in stool contaminated with it.

Those parasites are nonpathogenic, indicating there is no concern for serious health implications, but, Brennan noted, "Would you want that stuff inside of you?"

She said her doctor has informed her not to drink or bathe in the water until all tests results have been returned.

"I have stuff living inside of me," she said. "That’s really disgusting."

Brennan has been drinking bottled water and using it to wash, but she has been trying not to stay in her home. She stayed in a hotel for one night and has stayed at the Community YMCA on other nights.

Last weekend Brennan had the opportunity to house-sit for friends, which got her out of her apartment.

A water sample taken to Bill Sciarappa, an invertebrate zoologist and entomologist with Rutgers University, showed signs of a type of aquatic dipteran larvae, similar to flies found around sewers or swamps.

"Obviously drinking water should not contain these items," she said.

On Monday, a representative of the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) visited Brennan’s home and took samples from her apartment and neighborhood.

DEP spokesman John Berchtold said the water would be tested for general chemistry (color, odor, pH levels, chlorides, hardness) and for other contaminates, such as metals and bacteria.

Test results for bacteria would be known as early as Wednesday; the remaining results would take more time, probably until late September, Berchtold said.

"There could be some old residual iron from the old galvanized (pipes)," Berchtold said.

Borough testing has indicated no contamination from fecal matter in the borough’s water, the public works director emphasized.

In fact, he added, the borough conducts bacterial testing on the water every other week and issues an annual report on the quality of the water.

Buonacquista also said he has not received any similar complaints from any others on Earl Street, the neighborhood or any part of the borough.

"In 26 years, I’ve never seen what’s going on in there," he said.

The water main on Earl Street is 30 years old, not brand new, but hardly old for such an item. The main was also coated to prevent bacteria from developing, the director said.

That would indicate that any source would be coming from the interior of the apartment.

Brennan said she has had an ongoing dispute with the owners of the property from whom she has rented the apartment since October. She is now looking for a new apartment.

Brennan, who is incapable of working due to health considerations, said the only reason she has stayed in the apartment this long was her health.

"If you take money for a place, you’re responsible to make it habitable," she said, referring to her landlords.

Brennan said she has been in contact with James Williams, the borough’s building code enforcement officer, about her various complaints.

Williams did not return calls by press time.

The property is owned by Martha and Terry Daverio, Middletown. When contacted, Terry Daverio declined to comment, referring all comments to his attorney, Robert Weir, Red Bank. Weir was not available for comment.

"My frustration here is that I still can’t use the water," Brennan said.

The samples taken on Monday, Buonacquista said, show the water clear of any bacteria.

"It came back negative, so the water is good," he said.