How officials are handling ‘forever chemicals’ in water across the region

So-called “forever chemicals” have seeped into people’s drinking water over the decades. Now, water suppliers across our region are now racing to fix the contamination.

The state regulations that do exist are relatively new and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released new standards. The NBC10 investigators went across the tri-state region looking at how towns and schools are handling the contamination of PFAS, or forever chemicals. We found residents trying to come up with their own ways to keep the pollution out of the water they drink-- all while their towns and water operators struggle to meet their own state standards, plus the ticking clock of the new federal standards.

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What are PFAS?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, referred to simply as PFAS or forever chemicals, are man-made chemicals that were used to create firefighter foam, non-stick cookware, and stain-resistant materials. They don’t easily break down in the environment, hence the term "forever."

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According to the EPA, PFAS exposure can lead to decreased fertility, reduced immunity, increased risk of cancer, and developmental delays in children.

The EPA announced earlier this year that all water systems across the country would have to test for PFAS by 2027. The agency is requiring that water operators meet the new standards set for five types of forever chemicals by 2029. The new limits are 4 part per trillion for PFOA and PFOS and 10 parts per trillion for PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA.

How much is a part per trillion?

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One part per trillion is the equivalent of one drop in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The following stories on "forever chemicals" will air on NBC10 this week:

'Forever chemicals' in Emmaus, Pennsylvania

The sleepy town of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, woke up one Fall day in 2021 to find out the levels of forever chemicals in its water was 10 times the federal health advisory limit at the time. Township officials jumped into action, shutting down the most polluted well. But they had to leave the second contaminated well open because of concerns over enough water to supply the town. A plan to purchase a filter to remove the contaminants came to halt when the state stepped in. Three years later, this town is still reeling with the forever chemical contaminant problem. A solution is still years away. We explain why-- and how it may be a lesson for other cities about to confront this situation.

How are towns and schools in our region managing forever chemical contamination in their water supplies? NBC10's Investigative Reporter Claudia Vargas has how the small town of Emmaus in the Lehigh Valley found the chemicals in 2021 and plans to use a carbon-based filtration system to pump out the polluted water—but that isn't likely to be installed until 2026.

'Forever chemicals' in Pennsylvania schools

So-called "forever chemicals" or PFAs have been found in school wells that serve hundreds of children in southeastern Pennsylvania. NBC10 investigative reporter Claudia Vargas has more on how districts are managing their drinking water.

This is the first year Pennsylvania water systems, including schools with their own wells, have to test for PFAS. The first and second quarter results showed elevated levels at three school districts in our Southeast Pennsylvania region. The NBC10 Investigators found that some parents didn’t know about the elevated levels until we told them. And two of the districts only told parents once we started asking questions. School leaders deferred to the state Department of Environmental Protection about not having to tell parents and staff. But should they? We speak with a children’s health and PFAS expert about the risk for children consuming contaminated water. Plus, what are the districts doing?

'Forever chemicals' in New Jersey

Following news of other South Jersey towns having forever chemical contamination in their water systems, Brooklawn managers tried to get ahead of their eventual pollution. They applied and received a $1 million grant to purchase a filtration system that would remove PFAS. By the time their PFAS level violated New Jersey’s standard in late 2022, Brooklawn officials assured residents everything was under control and the matter would be resolved by the start of 2023. However, that didn’t happen. Some Brooklawn residents are now trying to filter the forever chemical themselves with makeshift multi-level home filters. Meanwhile, the level of contamination grew and the township opened an untested well, which could have made the problem worse. But New Jersey officials say that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Some municipalities in our region are struggling to protect their residents from the contamination of forever chemicals in their water supply. Brooklawn, New Jersey residents have been dealing with this issue since 2022 when the borough’s water tested above the state limits. The town received a $1 million grant to purchase a carbon filter to remove the chemicals— but that plan has been delayed more than a year. NBC10's Investigative Reporter Claudia Vargas explains further.

'Forever chemicals' in Delaware

Water systems in New Castle County have known about PFAS contamination since 2014 when testing showed incredibly high levels. The two main water systems in the area installed filters to remove the PFAS in the water before it went into people’s homes. But the NBC10 Investigators found that the filters weren’t removing all of the forever chemicals. Some of the so-called “break-through” was at levels above what some states already regulate and well above the newly announced federal limits that will go into effect in 2029. When we raised questions about the levels to the state Office of Drinking Water, the test results were pulled off the website. We met with the water operator in charge of the water plants in question. He offered an explanation that may be beneficial for others about to embark on the filtering journey to hear.

Delaware has been ahead of the curve in installing treatment systems to remove forever chemicals from its drinking water. But NBC10's Investigative Reporter Claudia Vargas discovered that not all the filtration systems are capturing all the contamination. While Delaware currently doesn't have its own limit on forever chemicals, water systems in the state had multiple water samples that showed levels above the new federal limit which Delaware will be implementing sometime by 2029.

The future of PFAS removal

New Castle, Delaware, found high levels of PFAs, or forever chemicals, in their water in 2014. Since then they have been filtering their water supply before it goes into homes. NBC10 investigative reporter Claudia Vargas has more on the solutions that seem to be working.

Since Delaware has already been tackling the forever chemical contamination for a decade, a lot of work is being done there to study better ways of dealing with PFAS. The NBC10 Investigators toured one of the New Castle water plants with a filter to learn about lessons the operators there learned-- and why they are looking to switch to a hybrid filtration model. An engineer for one of the main carbon filtration manufacturers shows us the mini lab he is running to determine the best filtration systems. But the director of the University of Delaware's Water Resource Center points out how expensive it will be for townships to maintain the PFAS treatment. They are forever chemicals after all. He thinks he has a better solution.