New Jersey American Water has issued a precautionary boil water advisory for its customers in sections of Bedminster, Chester Township, Far Hills, Peapack-Gladstone, Pottersville, and Tewksbury. On Sunday morning, a broken water line shut down the company’s Bedminster booster station, which maintains water pressure for approximately 1,400 customers whose water service was interrupted or who experienced low water pressure.

Please note that this is a standard procedure whenever water pressure is lost as a precaution. New Jersey American Water will provide information as to when the advisory is lifted.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requires that the company issue the following advisory:

New Jersey American Water has determined that a potential or actual threat to the quality of water being provided to you currently exists. Therefore until further notice, bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow to cool before using for consumption; drinking, ice cubes, washing vegetables and fruit, and for brushing teeth. Please continue to boil your water until you are notified that the water quality is acceptable.

New Jersey American Water also recommends the following steps:

• Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes if made with tap water during the day of the advisory;
• Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking;
• Rinse hand-washed dishes for a minute in diluted bleach (one tablespoon of household bleach per gallon of tap water) or clean your dishes in a dishwasher using the hot wash cycle and dry cycle.
• Do not swallow water while you are showering or bathing;
• Provide pets with boiled water after cooling;
• Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water; most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from microorganisms;
• Use only boiled water to treat minor injuries.

Please be advised that the company is doing all it can to ensure your water is of the highest quality. New Jersey American Water will notify customers immediately when the advisory is lifted.

New Jersey American Water is working around the clock to repair its Bedminster booster station and restore normal water service, which may take several days. In the meantime, the company has implemented temporary pumping measures to the impacted areas. While work continues, customers are asked to conserve water inside and outside of their homes.

For those without water, the company has established a water station at the Peapack Municipal Building at 1 School St. in Peapack where impacted customers can fill water jugs or receive bottled water. The water station will be in operation until all regular water pressure is restored to all customers in the effected areas.

For updates, customers can visit www.newjerseyamwater.com or www.facebook.com/newjerseyamericanwater.

New Jersey American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.5 million people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 15 million people in more than 30 states, as well as parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.