Mahwah Water Contamination Not Expected To Be Fixed Until 2023: Mayor

MAHWAH, NJ — Residents in Mahwah will have water delivered to their homes after a contaminant was found in one of the area's well , according to Mayor Jim Wysockis.

The mayor reassured residents the delivered water has been tested and is safe to drink.

“As we still are experiencing issues with well number 19, I wanted to reassure our residents that the blended water being delivered to your homes and business from our four water tanks is safe to use and drink. All tanks have been tested and the water at each of them is in compliance with state standards,” Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysockis said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The township does not expect to have this issue fixed until 2023, according to a township statement.

The Mahwah Water Department first alerted residents in January of this year about excessive levels of a contaminant in their water levels.

Levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid or PFOS, a man-made chemical, were 0.016 micrograms per liter (μg/L) in 2021. This is higher than the state standard of 0.013 μg/L. Boiling water does not remove the PFOS.

PFOS are used for industrial and commercial applications. It cannot be removed by boiling water. When people drink it for long periods of time, they could experience problems with their kidney, liver, immune system, and endocrine system, a township said in the letter.

It’s particularly harmful to pregnant women. When they drink water with higher levels of PFOS, their infants may develop problems.

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