Residents in Newark have been told that their water may not have met state and federal drinking water regulations for the last three years.

The city has sent out a notice that monitoring did not meet those standards and could be the cause of various waterborne illnesses, resulting in nausea, headaches or cramps.

The letter says that anyone drinking the water was at risk between January 2011 and April 17, 2014. 

The news has residents steamed. Clara Yates lives along Salem Street and has not yet received this letter, even though it's dated May 1. "Why couldn't I be alerted when the problem is occuring?" she asks. "Don't let me know after the fact."

In the letter, Newark officials say they "failed to properly monitor turbidity (cloudiness)" in the drinking water and that the "turbidity or the cloudiness of the water, can interfere with disinfection." It also explains that "turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms."

Newark's water is taken from the Charlotteburg Reservoir in Kinnelon, where it is filtered. It is there that the city says it failed to properly monitor filters.

Yates worries about the impact the water could have had on her 1-year-old nephew. "They drink the water. This is how they grow," she says. "Has anything gone wrong where my baby has been contaminated?"

The city says that anyone with concerns should see their doctor.