Town Sends Letter About Water Quality

The Township of Verona has sent the following letter about water quality to all residents:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
The Verona Water Department System has levels of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) above drinking water standards

Our water system recently violated a New Jersey drinking water standard, and as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, what we have already done and are doing to correct this situation.

We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Beginning June 1, 2020, the New Jersey standard
for PFOA is 14 parts per billion trillion and is based on a running annual average (RAA). On July 22, 2021, we received notice that the RAA based upon samples collected from the Fairview Avenue Treatment Plant in the Second Quarter, April 1, 2021 –June 30, 2021, showed that our system exceeds the standard, or maximum contaminant level (MCL), for PFOA. Regardless of the next 2 quarter results, the current RAA for PFOA is 17 parts per billion trillion which is above the MCL.

What does this notification mean?
*Some people who drink water containing PFOA in excess of the MCL over many years could experience problems with their blood serum cholesterol levels, liver, kidney, immune system, or, in males, reproductive system. Drinking water containing PFOA in excess of the MCL over many years may also increase the risk of testicular and kidney cancer. For females, drinking water containing PFOA in excess of the MCL over many years may cause developmental delays in a fetus and/or an infant. *

For more information refer to: https://www.nj.gov/health/ceohs/documents/pfas_drinking%20water.pdf.

What should I do?
• If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.
• If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.
• Boiling your water will not remove PFOA.

What is being done?
The Township blends water purchased from Passaic Valley Water Commission with water supplied by our Fairview Avenue
Well and Linn Drive Well. Even though the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act allows water systems up to a year after
receipt of the results that demonstrate an exceedance of the MCL that constitutes a violation to take any action necessary to bring the water into compliance with the MCL, as of July 28, 2021, out of an abundance of caution the Township has removed the Fairview Avenue Well from service. The Linn Drive Well was out of service for repair during the first half of 2021 so sampling did not occur. However, based on the results of preliminary samples taken in 2020, we expect water from the Linn Drive Well will also exceed the MCL for PFOA. Following suit, we will keep the Linn Drive Well out of service.

The Township is now solely utilizing water purchased from the Passaic Valley Water Commission (NJ1605002) until such
time as we remediate this issue. The Township Engineer is working with the water system’s consulting engineer to design and engineer a proper remediation system for both wells. We anticipate being able to resolve this problem within a year.

To view all the drinking water quality data collected by Verona Water Department visit
https://www9.state.nj.us/DEP_WaterWatch_public/index.jsp and enter NJ0720001 for the PWSID.
For more information, please contact Township Manager, Matthew Cavallo, at (973) 857-4767 or
[email protected].

*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not
have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses).
You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. *

This notice is being sent to you by the Verona Water Department. State Water System ID#: PWSID NJ0720001.

Please see additional information on PFOA here.

UPDATE: The notice that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approved for Verona misstated a key unit of measurement for PFOA contamination. It should be parts per trillion.