NJ American Water In Raritan Named To Contaminated Site List

RARITAN, NJ — NJ American Water in Raritan was included on a list of 43 sites in New Jersey contaminated with toxic chemicals, a new report by a national nonprofit shows.

According to the report by the Environmental Working Group, an activist nonprofit, the water at NJ American Water in Raritan is contaminated with two substances above state or federal health guidelines, including perfluorinated chemicals, which could harm the immune system, and several others linked to cancer.

The department serves 615,430 people. Water there was tested from March through September of 2015.

New Jersey American Water Response:

"At New Jersey American Water, we take water quality and safety very seriously. We routinely monitor our source water for emerging contaminants like PFOA and PFOS. As noted in the May 7, 2019 Environmental Working Group article, New Jersey American Water has detected PFOA and PFOS in some of our source water. Our treatment processes remove PFOA and PFOS from the source water to meet or surpass all current EPA and NJDEP guidance for these contaminants. We continually sample your water to ensure compliance.

New Jersey American Water is proud of our water quality record and we work very hard to make sure that our customers have access to their water quality data. Each year, we produce water quality reports for our customers telling them about the quality of their water and make this information available to them on the Internet.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets water quality standards intended to protect public health and New Jersey American Water treats and delivers water that meets or surpasses all EPA and New Jersey drinking water standards.

Further, we participate in community source water protection programs nationwide to help safeguard our water sources. The end result of these efforts is that New Jersey American Water treats and delivers high quality, reliable water."

EWG said this week that at least 610 places in 43 states are now known to be contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS. That's up from the 172 the organization had identified in July 2018. A total of 19 million people have had their water source affected.

The new study gives New Jerseyans a comprehensive look at just how widespread the problem is, and offers a comparative glance at how severely area military bases, drinking water wells, and other sites have been compromised.

PFAS has long been a concern in New Jersey, and it's a concern that's brought state and federal attention to a number of counties.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has identified five companies it says are responsible for the "extensive contamination" and directing them to fund millions of dollars in assessment and cleanup efforts, Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe recently announced.

To see all the New Jersey sites on the list, click here.

— With reporting by Tom Davis, Patch staff

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