Gottheimer to push for $52.8 million for water treatment upgrades to cut forever chemicals

RIDGEWOOD — To improve North Jersey drinking water systems so they can remove elevated levels of cancer-causing "forever chemicals," Rep. Josh Gottheimer said Thursday that he would push for three Bergen County water improvement projects to receive up to $52.8 million in federal grant funds.

The projects would receive the federal money through grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. They include:

• Fair Lawn $35.6 million for a "new and improved water treatment facility for the entire borough."

• Park Ridge: $16.4 million for new or upgraded treatment systems for up to nine of its 14 active treatment plants serving Park Ridge and adjacent Woodcliff Lake.

• Mahwah: $800,000 to add a filtration system to one of seven wells reporting elevated PFOS levels.

The announcement was made at treatment facilities for Ridgewood Water, which received a $2.8 million grant in March to remediate its water system, which serves 62,000 customers in Midland Park, Glen Rock and Wyckoff as well as Ridgewood.

"I’ve submitted these three new Community Directed Project requests to receive federal investment to improve their water treatment systems," Gottheimer said. "I’m hopeful that, just like we did for Ridgewood Water over this past year, we’ll be able to claw back federal dollars from Washington to ensure clean water for our families."

Three of the Park Ridge water system's 18 to 20 wells have been shut down because of elevated amounts of PFAS, called a "forever chemical" because it breaks down so slowly in the environment. The utility needs to make infrastructure improvements to comply with the state Department of Environmental Protection's more stringent standards for PFAS.

Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna said the borough "took immediate action" to shut down three of its 20 wells when elevated contamination levels were found.

"We've already invested over $2 million locally," Misciagna said. "Communities just don't have the resources to do what needs to be done to make our drinking water clean."

A project for Fair Lawn would bring water from all wells and send it to a centralized water treatment plant — removing up to 95% of PFAS and producing potable water, Gottheimer said.

"We have had to shut down three of our wells because of this," Fair Lawn Councilwoman Gail Roltenstrich said of the borough's 16 production wells. "This means half our water now comes from outside the borough. This is not a sustainable solution."

Mahwah is also in need of a new filtration system because one of its seven wells is out of compliance with the state PFAS requirement.

ELEVATED LEVELS: High levels of PFAS chemicals found in 34 NJ drinking water systems affecting 500K+ people

SAFE WATER: Mahwah mayor: Township water is 'safe for you to use and drink.' Some are still concerned

WATER BUDGET: Fair Lawn boosts budget for planting trees and also plans new water treatment plant

Mahwah Mayor James Wysocki estimated that residents would be spared "hundreds of thousands of dollars" if federal grant money is forthcoming.

"That's a huge relief to our residents," Wysocki said.

At least 34 municipalities throughout New Jersey, whose systems serve water needs of a combined 500,000 customers, were stunned in January when they learned their water systems exceeded new stricter groundwater purity standards set by the DEP in 2021.

Those chemicals included perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), part of a larger class of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

PFOA, also called C8, has been used to make stain-resistant carpets, waterproof clothing, nonstick cooking pans and other products that make life less messy. PFOS has been used in a variety of applications, including firefighting foams.

PFOA has spread so far through the environment that it can be found everywhere from the fish in the Delaware River to polar bears in the Arctic — and drinking water in New Jersey.

In most cases, the DEP has given municipalities that exceed the 12-month average readings only a year to remediate their systems, putting pressure on them to come up with major financing on short notice.

The contaminant is found much more frequently in drinking water in New Jersey than in many other states. As more scientific studies provide increasing detail about the chemical's impact on human health, experts say even tiny traces in the water supply can pose a danger.

PFOA is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, as well as high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension and other illnesses in a still-growing body of research.

PFOA, PFOS and other PFAS may affect the liver and the immune system, decrease immunity response to vaccines, and cause delays in the development of fetuses and infants. Exposure can increase the risk of cancer.

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: stoltz@northjersey.com

Twitter: @marsha_stoltz

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Cancer-causing chemical removal money pushed for NJ water systems