MAHWAH — The township is the latest New Jersey municipality to notify its residents of water contaminants in excess of new state standards enacted last year.
A letter from the Mahwah Water Department dated Jan. 13 reached residents’ mailboxes Friday. It states that 2021 tests from the township’s Well #19 show PFOS levels of .016 micrograms per liter, exceeding the state standard of .013.
Public water systems in New Jersey were required to begin monitoring this year for a class of chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS, found in a wide array of consumer and industrial products including firefighting foams, stain-resistant clothing, upholstery and food packaging. The contaminants have been linked to cancer and other illnesses.
If water exceeds the standards, utility operators have to install treatment systems or take wells offline, while also notifying consumers.
Mahwah’s letter warned residents that boiling will not remove PFOS from tap water. It advises households with infants, pregnant women and the elderly to seek advice from health care providers on drinking the water. However, it suggests that residents can reduce exposure by using bottled water or a home water filter certified to reduce PFOS levels in water used for drinking and cooking.
There is no statement about the safety of the water for bathing or clothes washing.
“We anticipate resolving the problem sometime near August of 2023,” the letter concludes.
Mayor James Wysocki said Saturday, “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
Council President David May, Township Administrator Ben Kezmarsky and Water/Sewer Department Superintendent Brian VanDerbeek could not be reached for comment.
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The state’s Department of Environmental Protection adopted new groundwater quality standards for 2021, most notably for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). They are part of a larger class of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals” because they break down so slowly in the environment.
Mahwah provides water for about 25,000 residents, 68.9% of it coming from the Ramapo River Valley underground aquifer that is pumped into seven wells. The other 31.1% of its water is provided by Suez North America.
Reports of elevated levels started circulating among municipalities as early as July, when Garfield notified residents of contaminants and an estimated $2 million price tag to treat them. At that time, Mayor Richard Rigoglioso said the city was among 30 North Jersey municipalities that did not meet the criteria.
The city’s water engineer, Kevin Boswell, whose firm also represents Mahwah, said in July that “once you have exceeded the 12-month running average, you have one year to institute a treatment method and meet that new standard.”
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So it is unclear why the Mahwah department’s projected August 2023 treatment deadline is 20 months away.
Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake residents received similar contaminant reports in December.
The Mahwah Water Department referred residents to the New Jersey DEP website for further information on the contaminants.
Some home water treatment devices such as filters, distillers and softeners can remove the contaminants. The state’s Drinking Water Quality Institute identified granular activated carbon filters as the best available technology to remove PFAS.
The DEP recommends that residents visit the National Sanitation Foundation International website, nsf.org, for more information about treatment devices. The nonprofit provides information for consumers and ranks devices for their effectiveness.
Marsha Stoltz is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @marsha_stoltz
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