A letter is being sent out to Livingston residents, explaining that at least one township well is above the limit of a recently-regulated contaminant. This contaminant, PFAS, is found in everyday household products, as well as things like firefighting foam.The well in violation has been shut off at the moment, so there is no active township well in excess of the limit. However, there appear to be additional wells that will be above the threshold once fourth quarter measurements are taken into account.Township manager Barry Lewis added that remedial measures are underway, and have been since before the regulations were put in place. These measures will likely take a year or two to complete. He noted that this issue is widespread throughout the state and country, and is affecting most neighboring towns, some worse than others.While commenting on whether or not the township’s water is safe to drink at Monday’s Township Council meeting, Mayor Shawn Klein advised residents to do their own research before making that decision for themselves and their families.Lewis said that if the township felt that the water posed a significant enough risk to the general public, however, then the town would advise residents to not drink the water, which is not currently the case.“If we felt there was an immediate risk, we would certainly say that,” Lewis said. He added that New Jersey’s threshold is much more conservative than federal guidelines, which takes into account risk specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding women.The water in the town is collected from all 12 of Livingston’s wells, which should dilute the number from the offending well in most water. However, those in closer proximity to the well or wells in violation likely receive the majority of their water from wells closest to their homes.The letter is included below in its entirety.Dear Livingston Water Customer:This letter relates to the presence of a recently regulated contaminant — Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) — in one of the wells in our water system, which has now been shut down. PFOA is one of a number of contaminants under the broader category of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). These emerging compounds have recently been regulated by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), with those regulations first applicable to public water systems (like Livingston) this year. Additional information is available in the New Jersey Department of Health PFAS Fact Sheet that accompanies this mailing, and ...
