UPDATE: Contaminated Water Site in West Orange, Orange May be Added to EPA's Most Hazardous List

[Editor's note: This story was updated March 15 at 4:30 p.m. to include a response from the mayor. To view his full statement, see attached document.]

The Orange Valley Regional Ground Water site that runs along both West Orange and Orange has been flagged by the US Environmental Protection Agency as possibly one of the most hazardous waste sites in the country.

EPA officials proposed Tuesday to add the area to its Superfund National Priorities List due to ground water contamination.

Authorities, however, maintain the contaminated site poses no danger to public drinking water.

Mayor Robert Parisi released a statement Thursday afternoon assuring residents the township's drinking water was safe.

"I can confirm that the homes in West Orange which were tested for water vapor intrusion by their agency were found to be negative for water contamination. I have been advised by the state DEP that the EPA will continue to test groundwater in West Orange," he said.

Richard Barnes, spokesman for New Jersey American Water told Patch the private company serves all of West Orange and does not draw from the Orange Valley Regional Ground Water site. He said the water comes from two reservoirs in the Canoe Brook Water Treatment Facility in Short Hills and one in Livingston.

If the Orange Valley Regional Ground Water site makes the final Superfund list, the federal government will handle the investigation and cleanup efforts, officials with the EPA said.

They said the site was referred by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

"There's been a history for this area of trying to get private parties to remediate potential sources to the ground water program," Ed Putnam, assistant director in the DEP's site remediation program told Patch. He said the state was looking to get federal funding after enforcement efforts and funding fell through. "This is potentially a rather expensive cleanup."

Putnam said though they've had their eyes on the area for quite some time, "Right now, there's no immediate concern that we can see from the site … the drinking water has been safe for years."

The site includes two public water supply wells on Orange Park and Gist Place that serves more than 10,000 people in the area. Treatment systems were installed on both wells in the 1980s to ensure safe drinking water, according to Elias Rodriguez, a spokesman for the EPA. He said a well on Brook Lane was also taken out of service.

"There is no imminent risk to public drinking water … steps have been taken by local authorities and the state to secure the drinking water," he said.

Officials said the boundaries of the site are still being determined and did not specify the parameters. They said the EPA will begin investigating responsible parties if the site makes the final list. Those parties will then be partly responsible to pay for the cleanup.

Putnam said he believes the site has multiple sources of pollution and that the toxic plume still exists.

According to an EPA release, the site contains contaminants that can have have adverse health effects, including liver damage and an increased risk of cancer.

More than 1,600 sites nationwide have made the Superfund list, EPA officials said. There are currently 1,303 still on the list, including 112 in New Jersey.

The EPA will allow a 60-day comment period to hear from residents in the affected areas in support or against adding the site to the Superfund list. To comment, click here.