Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID NJ_2024_UMEH-OPHORI

Unraveling the silent invasion of Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl substances in New Jersey groundwater systems

Institute: New Jersey
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $6,168 Total Non-Federal Funds: $6,194

Principal Investigators: Odera Richard Umeh, Duke Ophori

Project Summary: New Jersey (NJ) residents demand potable water and thorough research on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in ground- and drinking water systems. PFAS pose significant environmental concerns due to their historical use, persistence, and lack of comprehensive statewide study. PFAS contamination across monitoring wells in NJ is often overlooked despite increasing concentrations and well-documented global health risks. The primary exposure to these chemicals is through drinking water systems, highlighting the urgency of investigating groundwater sources as NJ residents demand potable water supply. NJ has high concentrations of PFAS species, and groundwater systems may become a major sink for PFAS pollution in this state, if not addressed now. However, comprehensive research on statewide occurrence, distribution, transport, and fate is scarce, hindering the development of effective policies and PFAS-free water. Hence, this study aims to comprehensively examine the statewide occurrence, geographical distribution, sources, transport mechanisms, and risks of the most prevalent PFAS species in NJ's groundwater systems via monitoring wells. Utilizing USGS online data mining, statistical analyses, principal component analysis, geographic information systems, and models, the research seeks to provide essential insights into PFAS contamination patterns across NJ. It is anticipated that the study approach will provide laudable insights into fully understanding the most troublesome PFAS species and most polluted counties in NJ, sources, co-occurrences, transport mechanisms, and risks as this will help inform the development of stringent water safety policies that will enhance PFAS-free water supply, raise public awareness, and aid conservation efforts to protect imperiled species in the NJ ecosystem.