PFAS Update
June 12, 2025
Good Afternoon,
We’re reaching out to share a few updates on the current status of work at the Route 31 Sludge Disposal site. The EPA has received preliminary water sampling results for all properties that have been sampled in the study area. All properties in the study area that were sampled should have received a call from the EPA (Margaret Gregor or Jon Byk) sharing their preliminary results with them. If those preliminary results show elevated levels of PFAS, the residents are immediately eligible to begin receiving bottled water deliveries.
In April, we shared validated data with property owners whose drinking water was sampled in December. Both the lab and the EPA’s contractor have encountered delays in providing the final, validated results which have been through quality assurance checks, due to the unusually large volume of data and associated review and processing requirements. We are expecting final, validated data for properties sampled in January to come in the next two weeks. We will work to share these results as soon as we receive them, and will continue to keep you updated as we find out when we’ll receive validated results from our February, March, and April sampling. If you have questions about your results in the meantime, feel free to reach out to Margaret or Jon (cc’d).
For any health-related questions, please contact our partners at the New Jersey Department of Health:
Somia Aluwalia, Ph.D. and Christa Fontecchio, M.P.H.
Environmental and Occupational Health Surveillance Program
609-826-4984 (Program phone)
Somia.Aluwalia@doh.nj.gov, Christa.Fontecchio@doh.nj.gov
The EPA is still awaiting internal approval of the subcontract to install treatment systems at all properties that have PFAS levels above the EPA’s maximum contaminant levels. While we have already allocated and approved funding for the systems, the contract approval is beyond our normal processing time and we apologize for the delay. Properties that are receiving bottled water now will continue to receive bottled water from the EPA until the EPA installs a treatment system into their home and then receives sampling results to demonstrate that it is functioning effectively. We will update you as soon as we have an approved subcontract for the treatment systems and can begin scheduling walk-throughs and installations. We appreciate your patience.
Thank you,
Joel Waddell
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 2
USEPA Region II
Route 31 Sludge Disposal
Route 31 & Rymon Road, Washington, NJ
