Middlesex Co. Mayors Announce Action After Tainted Water Notice

EDISON, NJ — The Mayors of four Middlesex County townships have come together to jointly address water safety concerns after Middlesex Water warned customers that the supply has high levels of the chemical PFOA.

Woodbridge Mayor John E. McCormac, Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch, South Plainfield Mayor Matthew P. Anesh, and Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey said they have retained an environmental consultant to review the notice issued by Middlesex Water Company to residents of their respective towns.

After reviewing information, the Mayors collectively decided to retain T&M Associates, a leading national consulting, environmental, engineering, technical services and construction management company. Additionally, they are also exploring the possibility of retaining legal counsel to further review the actions being implemented by MWC to comply with federal and state safe drinking water standards.

“Metuchen residents are understandably very concerned about this issue. By collaborating with other municipalities whose residents have also been impacted, we can better explore and understand the impact of the contaminants,” Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch said in a statement.

Thomas Lankey, Mayor of Edison, said he shares the concerns of the fellow Mayors and that the matter requires guidance and assistance of experts. “In joining with our neighboring communities, we will be engaging engineers who are specialists in these matters,” Lankey said. “Through their expertise, they will guide us in protecting our residents and business community.”

Last week, Middlesex Water announced they detected high levels of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in groundwater samples from the Park Avenue Treatment Plant in South Plainfield.

The company told consumers that it received a notice in early September that the PFOA limit rose to 36.1 parts per trillion (ppt) in a sample collected on Aug.2, which is more than twice the permissible limit of 14 ppt enforced by the NJ Department of Environmental protection.

Read More Here: Middlesex Water Says Edison-Metuchen Water Supply Has High PFOA

Middlesex Water said the heightened reading was due to a new shift in standards by the NJDEP. The NJDEP started regulating PFOA last summer. The company said the PFOA levels still complies with the non-enforceable EPA health advisory level of 70 ppt. However, the language in the notice was required by DEP regulation.

“Since notification of the exceedance, the Borough has been in contact with the NJDEP, and our neighboring municipalities to evaluate the extent of Middlesex Water’s exceedance problems and what it means to our residents,” South Plainfield Mayor Matthew P. Anesh said. “We are committed to supporting the NJDEP in their efforts to monitor the progress by Middlesex Water Company to bring their system into compliance as soon as possible and ensuring our residents are provided with safe water which poses no health risks.”

Middlesex Water said they have begun litigation in U.S. District Court against the "party we believe is responsible for the presence of PFOA in our groundwater."

Communities affected by this also include Clarke and Rahway.

The company said they are constructing upgrades to their plant, at an estimated cost of $47 million, which will utilize Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration to remove PFOA. The plant is expected to be in service by mid-2023.

Mayor John E. McCormac said it was important for communities impacted to “combine resources and retain the best independent experts to guide us forward as we work to ensure that our drinking water supply comports with all federal and state standards.”

“It makes good sense to work together instead of separately as we undertake any and all actions necessary to ensure that MWC moves swiftly to protect the health and safety of our residents.”

Town Hall

Senior management officials from Middlesex Water Company will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. at John P. Stevens High School, 855 Grove Avenue, Edison.

Another town hall is scheduled in Metuchen for Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m. at the Metuchen High School Auditorium. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the Metuchen Borough Facebook Page, YouTube channel, and local channel 15.