South Jersey Town Residents Say Dirty Water That Smells 'Like It's Full Of Chlorine,' Sometimes Yellow, Pouring Out Of Faucets
NATIONAL PARK, N.J. (CBS) -- Two National Park residents say they haven't been turning on their faucets lately because the water sometimes comes out yellow or even brown. Both women feel it isn't safe to drink.
"Smelling like it's full of chlorine. Like throwing a tablet in a pool that real strong smell, right when you get it where shock, that's what it smells like," Elaine Corcoran said. "That's what our water smells like."
Corcoran lives on the other side of town, but she says she's been dealing with this problem on and off for five years. But this time, it's been happening all week.
"I've actually put money in and started to buy water for my house to drink, to feed my animals," she said.
Allison Friars says she's had to do the same.
"This week, especially, has been the worst I've seen it," Friars said. "It has not cleared up and it's been since Sunday."
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The residents say they're not using the water the borough of National Park has been charging them monthly for and no one with the water department has come to check out their complaints.
"We were told by the township that there's no funding to replace the systems and that the reservoirs, the pipes underground are rusty," Friars said. "Actually, my husband was told by the borough hall that we basically have to deal with it."
Residents say they won't and should have access to clean running water.
"We're paying for clean water and we're not getting it," Friars said.
A borough spokesperson says they were first made aware of the problem on June 28.
In a statement, they said, in part: "The National Park Water Department was made aware that discolored water was being discharged from taps in homes throughout the Borough. In response that evening, the Water Department proceeded to flush hydrants to try and fix the issue. On Monday morning, the issue that caused the discoloration was found at the water plant and rectified immediately. As water made its way throughout town, the problem continued until all hydrants were eventually flushed."
The spokesperson says they have not received any complaints as of Thursday, and while the town does have an aging infrastructure, they are exploring options to address the problem.
