The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assures they it is taking the necessary steps to ensure clean, safe drinking water for Palmerton residents on the heels of a public meeting held Tuesday.

About 150 community members attended the meeting at Aquashicola Fire Company as the EPA updated the Palmerton community about the ongoing cleanup efforts at the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund site and reducing forever chemicals affecting the local public water system.

“EPA is committed to protecting the health and well-being of the Palmerton community,” said Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey, EPA Region 3 administrator.

“We are working diligently with our state and local partners to implement solutions that will provide long-term access to clean, safe drinking water for all residents,” she said in a release Wednesday.

In May 2024, EPA was made aware by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection of the presence of PFOS and PFOA above the federal maximum contaminant level in Palmerton Municipal Authority’s drinking water supply.

EPA immediately began working with the water system to determine where the PFAS was coming from and how the agency could help address the contamination.

As part of those efforts, EPA tested soil, groundwater and surface water on the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund site and found elevated levels of PFAS that are likely contributing to the drinking water issues and is working to investigate any additional sources.

While the agency’s investigation continues, EPA is installing a temporary granular activated carbon treatment system that will be located at Palmerton’s treatment and distribution system.

The agency is also taking steps to develop the best strategy for long-term access to safe drinking water for Palmerton residents.

EPA said technical specifications for the system are in review, and that will be followed by a request for proposals that will be reviewed, with the hope to award the project by spring and install it by late summer.

In the meantime, EPA stressed that home water filters can reduce the amount of forever chemicals in the water.

Other agencies in attendance at the meeting were the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry, and the state Department of Health.

Throughout the meeting, the EPA answered questions on well testing, health concerns and short- and long-term solutions to keep the water clean.

Representatives provided an update on recent developments at the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site.

The EPA noted in its news release that Palmerton was home to zinc smelting operations from 1898 to 1981.

Those activities resulted in significant heavy metal contamination, leading to the site’s inclusion on the National Priorities List in 1983.

For more than 40 years, EPA has worked with the Palmerton community to clean up legacy zinc smelting operations. Those efforts have included protecting human health from lead, cadmium, zinc and arsenic that had been building up in the soil from almost 100 years of mining.

The agency is continuing to work closely with Palmerton Borough, Palmerton Municipal Authority and the DEP to establish additional response actions to provide a permanent cleanup solution in support of protecting human health and the environment.

For more information on the Palmerton Zinc Pile site — including site history, cleanup activity and status updates — visit the EPA’s site profile page. To learn more about EPA activity throughout the mid-Atlantic, visit its regional website or follow the EPA on Instagram, X and Facebook.