What are "PFAS"?

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are an emerging group of omnipresent compounds that can be found in products treated to make them non-stick, notably food packaging, carpets, leather and apparel, textiles, paper and packaging materials, and non-stick cookware. It has spread throughout the environment and been found in soil and water. Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are the most common of these PFAS compounds and have been detected in drinking water sources. These compounds are ubiquitous in the environment and have been for many years.

Please see the PFAS Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) for more information. A brief summary is found below

PFAS in the Township of Livingston

• In 2021 the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) enacted a limit for PFOA in 2021 of 14 parts per trillion (ppt), the most stringent limit in the country. They have enacted limits for other PFAS compounds as well, including a limit of 13 ppt for PFOS. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and may other states do not have any PFAS regulations, the EPA is in the process of adopting PFAS regulations.
• The Township has detected PFOA over the NJDEP limit in some wells and is currently in violation at four out of eleven well treatment facilities. The Township water did not suddenly change, but the regulations have. Public notices regarding these violations have been mailed quarterly since September 2021. Quarterly notices will continue to be distributed until treatment construction has been completed. The notices can be found below.
• The Township is committed to designing and constructing treatment at the affected well facilities as quickly as possible. We are working with NJDEP and retained the services of Mott MacDonald, our professional engineer, in this effort. 
• The Township water system is intermingled, and different wells are on at different times supplemented by purchased water from other utilities, making it difficult to characterize the exact proportion of water a house is receiving from any given source at any given time. 
• The Township is limiting the use of the impacted wells as much as possible, but cannot meet the system demands, particularly during the peak water usage during the summer, without running some of these wells. Please note Well 10, the well treatment facility with the highest levels of PFOA, will remain shut down until a treatment facility is installed.
• Exposure to PFAS in drinking water is primarily from ingestion. Exposure to PFAS through other household uses of water such as showering, bathing, laundry and dish washing is not significant. Reverse Osmosis and Filters with the certification NSF 53 can reduce the level of PFAS compounds in water. 

PFAS Remediation Status

The Township has committed approximately $15 million for design and construction of new treatments. Consultant Mott McDonald has been hired to develop the designs. We are upgrading our affected well facilities to treat PFOA using a combination of granulated activated carbon and ion exchange resins. The project is being separated into two phases because of the large number of facilities involved. Design is complete for the first phase and the contract is in the process of being awarded. The second phase is anticipated to be bid in Fall 2023. Our goal is to complete construction as quickly as possible; however, timing is subject to NJDEP approval and to the availability of specialized labor and materials, supplies of which are in high demand given the large number of water systems in New Jersey that need to build similar treatment systems in response to the new regulation.