In December of 2024, residents of a neighborhood were informed by the HomeOwners Association (HOA) of their water being potentially contaminated with various hazardous toxic chemicals. The sludge disposal site is within Route 31, in the eastern portion of Warren County within Washington Township, south of Washington Borough. PFA’s. They were told to wait and “sit tight” till the next HOA meeting.
In 2019 the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Agency (NJDEP) found PFAS, PCBs, and heavy metals in residents’ water. But what are PFAS? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “PFAS are manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s. Because of their widespread use and their persistence in the environment, many PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.”
Even though contaminants were identified back in 2019, the NJDEP waited till November of 2024 to ask the EPA to take over the investigation. The EPA then informed homeowners of potential contaminants and told residents they were working on a plan to help homeowners, and to attend the next HOA meeting.
On January, 2025, after the emergency meeting residents were given little to no information about their water and whether it was safe to drink. The only information they were given was the exact cause for contamination. The EPA concluded from their investigation the source of contamination came from two textile manufacturing companies: Castle Creek Fabrics and Northern Dyeing Corporation. EPA Site Coordinator Margret Gregor says “The facility had been going through about 300,000 gallons of wastewater per day. About 12,000 to 14,000 gallons per day of sludge.” Though this waste sludge was spread over 45 acres from the 1950s-1970s, Toll Brothers never disclosed this information to any homeowner, despite being aware of the land’s previous use.
As of February 13, residents were supplied with 5 gallon water coolers, and 2 packages of water bottles, in response to their water testing positive for PFAs. They have been promised reverse osmosis filters although it is unclear where the money for the filter and installation will come from. Either the HOA will use the money collected in previous years to pay for residents or they will increase their yearly fee for homeowners.
The EPA has started a superfund cleanup, an official process where the EPA is legally required to investigate the cause, help distribute water, test water and install treatment systems. Superfund forces the EPA to deal with abandoned, accidentally spilled, or illegally dumped hazardous substances from the past.
Unfortunately, both Castle Creek Fabrics and Northern Dyeing Corporation went bankrupt in the 1970s and are unable to be held legally or financially responsible.
Homeowners are scared and confused as the most basic part of their lives (water) has turned to an extreme source of stress and anxiety; which begs the question: what’s in your water?
