High PFOA Levels In Middlesex Co. Water? Get The Full Story

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — There has been much buzz because the drinking water in many Middlesex County towns is now showing higher-than-accepted levels of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA).

But it is important the public fully understand what is going on, said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac on Monday.

First, about two weeks ago Middlesex Water Company notified the public that they found high levels of PFOA at their South Plainfield plant. The towns that source their water from that South Plainfield plant are Woodbridge, Edison, Metuchen, South Plainfield, Clark and Carteret.

"Essentially, if you pay your water bill to Middlesex Water, you are a retail customer and are affected by this notice," Edison Township told residents last week, the Edison-Metuchen Patch reported.

Only customers in South Amboy are not affected by the now-higher PFOA levels; it remains unknown why.

However, the PFOA level in all those towns is now testing high because, in February of this year, the state Department of Environmental Protection lowered the allowable levels of PFOA in the water supply. The DEP lowered the threshold under the Biden administration in Feb. 2021, following new guidance from the federal Environmental Protection Agency once Biden took office.

"The DEP recently established a new standard for the allowable level of PFOA in the water supply," explained McCormac. "It formerly had a health guidance level of 40 parts per trillion, but lowered that to 14 parts per trillion."

So basically, for decades prior to this the NJ DEP decided that 40 parts per trillion of PFOA was acceptable in public drinking water.

It is only after the DEP lowered the threshold to 14 parts per trillion, that Middlesex County's water now exceeds the limits.

"As a result, water that was only recently deemed compliant now is over the new threshold," explained McCormac.

Middlesex Water Company is currently in the process of redesigning their South Plainfield water plant to be able to meet these revised new federal standards.

However, that project is not expected to be completed until 2023.

PFOA, or Perfluorooctanoic Acid, is used in non-stick cookware, firefighting foams, carpet and upholstery coatings, water-resistant outdoor clothing and grease-proof food packaging among other products.

Last week, Woodbridge joined with the municipalities of Edison, Metuchen and South Plainfield to jointly engage the environmental consulting services of T&M Associates, which has significant experience dealing with PFOAs, "to advise us and educate us as we work through this process," said McCormac.

As the water advisory was expanded, Carteret and Clark were added.

Boiling water does not remove PFOA and only filters with granular-activated charcoal can remove it.

Middlesex Water Company's Customer Service Department can be reached with questions at 800- 549-3802. You can also check the DEP web site and learn the health risks of high exposure to PFOAs: https://www.nj.gov/dep/watersu...

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