Message from Mayor Madden: The Crossroads of The Perfect Storm

While our town has experienced terrible flooding with a force from Mother Nature, we never thought possible, Monday, August 2, 2021 provided us with a new problem that I believe Middlesex Borough never experienced and with such immediate environmental ferocity.

That morning it was reported that a substantial water main, owned and operated by NJ American Water Company (NJAM), broke affecting 5 towns and about 150,000 residents. To make matters worse here, a series of unlikely events unfolded like a domino effect causing an environmental disaster in the Creighton Lake at Victor Crowell Park of which no one was prepared. There was no advance warning and certainly no indication that three major factors were to contribute to this perfect storm.

A Domino Effect

A domestic water main, identified by NJAM as a transmission water main on Cedar Avenue in Piscataway, suddenly ruptured causing multiple collateral damage thereafter. As I recently learned, only one domestic water main was involved- not two as originally reported. A transmission water main typically is a larger diameter service main which will deliver a larger volume of water to smaller service mains. The water main was a 60-inch main reduced to a 48-inch main further reduced to a 24-inch main. The pressure behind the water coming out of the 24-inch main being pushed from two larger mains caused a tremendous velocity force which started the domino effect. One does not have to be an expert in the physics of fluid dynamics to understand such a force.

Science Alert

Please feel free to skip over the next paragraph if fluid mechanics does not interest you. Seriously.

Think of a pressure washer that one may use on their residence. The water volume goes through a larger diameter line to a smaller diameter line (and eventually through a pump). Therefore, the speed of the water will accelerate from a slow speed in a larger diameter to a faster speed in a narrow diameter of a fluid line. So, what factor will cause the flow to accelerate? That factor is pressure. In other words, when a water line reduces, the flow of water is restricted which reduces the pressure loss resulting in more pressure and the velocity of water increases. Therefore, the pressure must be higher behind the fluid and lower in front of it to cause the acceleration.

And Then, The Backup

This tremendous force of water overwhelmed and damaged a nearby sanitary sewer force main owned and maintained by Piscataway. In addition, the domestic water main break caused a significant backup into the Piscataway sewer force main which then caused an overwhelming surcharge of untreated raw sewage, both domestic and industrial, from the manholes onto Cedar Avenue discharging next to a Borough Chemical facility. This chemical facility was legally discharging a surfactant which is their process effluent, into that same sanitary main. This sewage overload then entered the storm water basins which flowed into the Ambrose Brook.

So now we are dealing with sanitary (sewage) discharge, comingling with domestic city water and comingling lastly with the surfactant discharge. This is the perfect storm meeting at the Bermuda Triangle.

The Ambrose Brook directly feeds into the Creighton Lake. This tremendous surge of the combined outfall also carried away large sections of Possumtown Road which may eventually enter the Lake causing damage to our bubbler and aerators in the next storm.

A Terrible Event

The general assay of the surfactant which is the most significant issue is that it acts as an oxygen scavenger. In other words, when put into a vibrant water body like Creighton Lake, it removes life-giving precious oxygen to all aquatic life in the lake. This terrible event occurred almost immediately as thousands of fish started dying including tadpoles, crayfish, minnows, catfish, sunnies, bass, carp and eel. It was very sad to watch them coming to the surface to gulp air only to die quickly. Prior to this ecological disaster, Creighton Lake was a robust and extremely healthy body of water which attracted all kinds of wonderful wildlife including some rare species of birds, deer and Blue Herons. During the height of Covid, many residents utilized the park as a respite and stress reliever for families to cope with this life- altering scourge.

On Thursday, I met with officials from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP), Middlesex County Haz Mat, our insurance company, and the President and Vice President of Operations of American Water. The Borough was given assurances that American Water would follow the requirements of the NJ DEP to ensure the water quality of the Lake. The priority for all parties is to make sure what was spilled up stream in Piscataway and into the Ambrose Brook is scrubbed and cleaned so it doesn’t end up in the Lake as well. An environmental company charged with the clean up is working from the top of the Ambrose down.

A Warning… Patience Needed

The NJ DEP requested patience. They believe that, once there are a couple of heavy rainstorms, the water column will clear out through dilution and the water quality will be restored in the Lake. Until that time, the aerators are remaining off as they are simply churning around soapy surfactants in the water. Once we have some good rain, we will turn on the aerators and see if we still get foam coming up. If not, then the water is clear; if there is foam, the NJ DEP will address, along with American Water, the possibility of draining the Lake to clean off anything that may have sunk to the bottom, causing a continuing problem. It is a “wait and see” matter according to the NJ DEP.

In the meantime, we ask residents to not go near the Lake or allow your pets to until further notice. Middlesex County is rigorously testing the water for nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, e-coli, and other compounds that should tell us the health of the water and when it is clean. Dead fish are still coming onto the banks and our Department of Public Works is diligently cleaning them up daily, including both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. We expect full reimbursement by the responsible party for the costs the Borough has incurred.

Please know that the Borough is working diligently with the County, the State and American Water to restore the beauty and quality of what we once had at Victor Crowell Park. It will take time, but we are committed to stay the course. Thank you for your understanding and your patience.

Regards,
Mayor John L. Madden