PARK RIDGE—The Borough Council on Dec. 9 unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing $4,025,000 in bond funding for water treatment systems at municipal wells 16 and 19, part of an effort to remove so-called forever chemicals from the borough’s drinking water supply.
Ordinance 2025-020 funds installation of treatment systems designed to remove PFOA, one of a class of chemicals known as PFAS. Borough officials said the work is required by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
The Park Ridge Water Utility provides potable water to Park Ridge and portions of Woodcliff Lake.
Officials said the borough has received a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant of $3,452,972 to help underwrite the project. Councilman Michael Mintz said the remaining cost would be covered through water utility rates, not municipal property taxes.
“This is what’s going to protect our water,” Mayor Keith Misciagna said during the meeting. He said the project is intended to address concerns from residents who have received required notices regarding PFOA in the water system.
Town Clerk Maggie Giandomenico said the grant is an EPA FY23 Community Grant for a water remediation project totaling $3,452,972 and includes a required 20% local cost share, of $863,243. “We bond for the whole amount but only authorize debt for our portion of the 20% cost,” Giandomenico said.
Giandomenico also said EPA-funded projects require a National Environmental Policy Act review and determination prior to award, and that the borough’s application evolved over time.
“Due to federal competition requirements and project timelines, it was proposed that the Borough use these funds to improve Wells 7 and 8, 16, and 19,” she said. “[However,’] as we went through the long application process and EPA reviews everything, we narrowed in on [wells] 16 and 19.”
The Park Ridge Water Utility sends quarterly notices when required sampling shows wells exceeding PFOA standards, officials said, even when the wells are offline. The utility previously used state and federal grant funding to install PFOA filtration systems at three other wells, which were taken offline in 2021 after PFOA levels above state standards were found.
In its public notice, the utility describes PFOA as part of the PFAS family of chemicals used in manufacturing and consumer products and notes that contamination can persist in the environment for long periods.
The notice also states that Park Ridge Water has voluntarily monitored PFOA since 2020, before NJDEP set maximum contaminant levels.