Water contamination in Pennsville could linger until the end of June: officials

PENNSVILLE, NJ - Pennsville Township in South Jersey is on high alert after officials say they found contaminants in the city water. 

FOX 29's Gregory Payne spoke to residents and officials about the issue. 

Jerry Miller’s grocery runs consist of a few food items, and a lot of water. 

"I just buy bottled water for drinking purposes, I still bathe in the regular water, I don’t know if that’s good or bad," said Miller.

More people in Pennsville are giving up on tap water for drinking and switching to bottles due to a lack of trust in the quality of the water. 

Pennsville Township Water Department recently sent a mass letter through the mail about an issue with the drinking water. 

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said the city’s water coming from the Water Street water treatment plant has an exceeding level of PFOA. 

PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) is found in a number of things including non-stick cookware and film-forming foams for firefighting and training. 

"It’s a very small sample result, so, they are saying it could cause harm to infants, babies and they suggest that they drink bottled water," said Jack Lynch, who helps operate the water system in Pennsville Township.

That is until the water issue is resolved.

Which township officials say even though they noticed PFOA in the water back in September, it wasn’t until recently that the amount exceeded the state regulated level. 

They say the PFOA issue stems from the old DuPont Plant which is now being run by Chemours. 

Based on their website, the company is a market leader in manufacturing advanced performing materials, including Teflon. 

Township officials say Chemours is working with them and is the reason there is construction at the Water Street site installing PFA treatment. 

"Chemours and Pennsville Township have joined forces and taken that proactive role to remediating that compound because we know that it was coming," said Lynch. 

Township officials say the construction to fix the water issue will be completed by the end of June.