Willingboro utility sues six companies over PFAS-contaminated drinking water
The MUA says some of the companies, including an electronics manufacturer, released hazardous “forever chemicals” from nearby facilities into an underground aquifer.
The Willingboro Municipal Utility Authority (MUA) has sued an electronics firm and other companies, accusing them of contaminating its water supply with toxic chemical compounds that have cost it millions to address.
The MUA says some of the companies, including an electronics manufacturer, released hazardous “forever chemicals,” specifically PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane, from nearby manufacturing facilities into the local groundwater supply.
The substances are linked to serious human health risks, including cancer and immune system damage. Expensive specialized treatment is required to remove the compounds from water wells.
The MUA operates six groundwater wells that serve 35,000 customers in the township and in neighboring Mount Laurel. The wells draw from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy Aquifer, an underground source that contains fresh water spread over 2,500 square miles.
According to the lawsuit filed last week, water testing samples in 2021 revealed the presence of both PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane in wells that exceed New Jersey Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standards, as well as elevated levels of other compounds.
The MUA had to shut down a well and that well’s treatment plant.
» READ MORE: South Jersey town’s drinking water exceeded a ‘forever chemical’ standard
PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) belongs to a class of synthetic, human-made chemical compounds collectively known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The compounds contain fluorine and carbon, which form one of the strongest bonds in chemistry, leading to the nickname “forever chemicals” given to them because of their ability to resist breaking down in either the human body or the environment.
And 1,4-Dioxane, a synthetic industrial chemical, is also a highly toxic substance and known cancer risk.
In MUA well 5A, PFOS was detected at 15 parts per trillion based on a running annual average. The state allowable maximum is 13 ppt.
However, in 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Biden administration announced national drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS of 4 parts per trillion for both. The more stringent standards are being phased in over the next few years.
There are no state or federal maximum contaminate levels for 1,4-Dioxane, only recommended guidelines.
To address the contamination, the MUA spent $5.3 million on a new granular activated carbon treatment system designed specifically to treat PFOS in well 5A. The system went online in 2024.
The MUA expects it will need to spend $20 million in the future to address contamination in Wells 9, 10, and 11. The figure does not include the ongoing operations and maintenance costs associated with the cleanup.
The MUA has sued six companies for unspecified damages.
Those companies include Chicago-based Methode Electronics Inc., which had two facilities in Willingboro, that used printing and etching techniques to make printed circuit boards, connectors, automotive controls, and switches.
Also named was Hi-Temp Specialty Metals Inc., which recycles heavy metals to be used as alloys, and previously owned a facility in Willingboro.
Willing B. Wire Corp., which owned a facility in Willingboro for steel wire drawing, generated stormwater discharges containing chromium, manganese, sodium hydroxide, ammonia, and nickel.
The suit also named three realty companies that owned, or own, the facilities used by the manufacturers: Ursum Realty Inc., 148 Beverly Rancocas RD LLC, and NJ Mero Realty Co LLC.
Methode, Hi-Temp, and Willing B. Wire could not be reached immediately Monday for comment.