A groundwater treatment system is expected to be installed and operational in Palmerton by mid-2026 in an effort to clear up the borough’s drinking water.

The system will be implemented under EPA’s Superfund Removal program.

The treatment system, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, will be put in at the location of the Palmerton Municipal Authority production wells, an area made public by the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site.

“It’s going to be a huge cost-savings to us,” borough Manager Autumn Canfield said. “We would have had to put treatment on the system, the EPA is instead of us, and that will end up saving us a significant amount of money.”

Canfield noted another advantage to the EPA pursuing this.

“It is not only a cost-savings to us, but with this (being) in place by mid-2026, we’re excited (the community has been asking about the PFAS) in the near-term future that these things will be removed out of our water,” she said.

Canfield said EPA will be designing, installing, owning and operating the treatment for the water system located on Municipal Authority Property at the base of the mountain.

“We are working in conjunction with them to help facilitate the process, but the capital costs will not be our responsibility,” she said.

Canfield said that the Palmerton Municipal Authority has been working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to address the issue of contaminants in the borough’s water system, and added it’s a “systemwide” problem.

After that meeting, Canfield said the borough has been included in DEP’s Professional Engineering Service program.

Site update

After the Palmerton Municipal Authority detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in its municipal water supply wells in mid-2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested soil, groundwater and surface water from the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund site in July of this year to check for PFAS.

The results showed several PFAS compounds in most of the samples, including the areas revegetated as part of the site cleanup in the 1990s and early 2000s. Groundwater concentrations were similar to those detected in the Palmerton Municipal Authority wells near the site.

Specifically, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFAS) and perfluorooctane sulfonate acid (PFOS) were detected at concentrations above EPA’s 2024 Maximum Contaminant Levels of 4 parts per trillion. MCL is the maximum level allowed of a contaminant in water which is delivered to any user of a public water system.

EPA is working with Palmerton Borough, Palmerton Municipal Authority and DEP to develop the best strategy to ensure borough community members have long-term access to safe drinking water.

Background

The Palmerton Municipal Authority send out a Code Red to homeowners in July to make them aware of the situation.

The municipal authority said it routinely monitors for drinking water contaminants, and that testing results it received on May 30 show that their system exceeds the standard, or maximum contaminant level.

PFOS and PFOA are chemicals that are part of a larger group referred to as perfluoroalkyl substances. These are human-made chemicals, and do not occur naturally in the environment. They have been used to make items that are resistant to water, grease or stains such as cookware, carpets and packaging.

Canfield said earlier in July that during required quarterly testing the borough’s water system violated a drinking water standard.

Beginning in January 2024, water systems servicing over 350 customers were required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to start initial compliance monitoring for two PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS.

PFAS often show up on items such as wild caught fish, dust particles, food that was packaged in different types of containers (such as popcorn), cleaning products, stain resistant carpet, water repellent clothing, nonstick cookware, fast food wrappers, pizza boxes, candy wrappers, and even certain plastic containers you drink from. They are also used in industrial processes and in firefighting foams.

The standard for PFOS is 18 parts per trillion, and PFOA is 14 parts per trillion. PFOS at Entry Point 102 were found at a level of 48.6ng/L on May 14 in the drinking water.

The second quarter average is 35ng/L for PFOS and 31.ng for PFOAs.

Homeowners were told this isn’t an immediate risk, and that if it had been, they would have been notified immediately.

Next steps

On Oct. 27, EPA authorized the installation of a groundwater treatment system at the location of PMA production wells.

The treatment site will reduce PFAS levels to below federal MCLs before distribution to residents serviced by Palmerton Municipal Authority.

EPA will continue investigating PFAS contamination to determine any additional sources of PFAS and the extent of the impacts, which will include testing private drinking water wells for PFAS, throughout the rest of 2025 and into 2026.

EPA will schedule a public meeting once details are finalized. Sign up for the email list by sending a request to R3-Palmerton@epa.gov or visit the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund site profile page at www.epa.gov/superfund/palmerton.

To learn more about PFAS, visit PFAS chemicals overview I AJSDR (cdc.gov) or contact the borough manager or Public Works Supervisor at 610-826-2505.

The Palmerton Municipal Authority serves about 2,200 customers.