Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) announced the Borough of Brooklawn is receiving a $1,000,000 grant to remove contamination from well water through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant program.

“Every South Jerseyan deserves clean drinking water,” said Congressman Norcross. “I’m glad to play my part by fighting for the federal investments needed to improve the health and safety of our local communities.”

New Jersey has some of the nation’s strongest standards for forever chemicals in drinking water and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has been aggressive in testing and improving water quality.

“Getting forever chemicals out of our local water system is one of my top priorities. This grant will help us achieve that goal by ensuring local water is clean and safe to drink,” said Brooklawn Mayor Teri Branella. “I want to thank Congressman Norcross and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for supporting our fight against forever chemicals.”

The USDA approved the $1,000,000 grant to the Borough of Brooklawn to make improvements to a water treatment plant by adding a granulated activated carbon (GAC) treatment system to remove perfluorinated compounds (also known as “forever chemicals”) contamination from well water. These improvements will allow the water treatment plant to service 719 residential and 80 commercial consumers with safe drinking water that meet standards set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Perfluorinated “forever chemicals” are a class of chemicals used to make products grease-proof, waterproof, stick-proof, and stain-resistant. Many everyday household items are treated with forever chemicals, including microwavable popcorn bags and non-stick pans (Teflon). As water containing forever chemicals passes through the treatment system, the forever chemical molecules absorb onto the surface of the porous activated carbon particles and are thus removed from the drinking water. Forever chemicals are linked to multiple health concerns, including cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, and other diseases.