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PFA is not an issue in Newark's water

 

A recent Harvard study that looked at drinking water contamination said Newark had unsafe levels of PFAs, an industrial chemical, in its water. The city says that's wrong.

 

City Manager Carol Houck said the City of Newark has poured funds into improving its water systems over the last 10 years. So naturally, when a Harvard study claimed there were unsafe levels of PFAs in the city’s drinking water, city officials and residents were alarmed by what they called “an inaccuracy”.

 

“It’s very unfortunate for us to alarm our citizens, especially since we work very hard to operate a very well-respected utility within the state,” Houck said.

 

Houck said Newark’s water exceeds water quality standards. The city has three different sources: Groundwater, surface water and storage, and multiple ways to service the community's water supply, including two different water treatment plants.

 

The location outlined in the study was near the New Castle Airport, well outside of Newark’s city limits.

 

Once the city heard of the error, officials contacted the study’s authors. The information has been amended.

 

The City of Newark did not participate in Harvard's contaminant study. None of the chemicals referenced in the study are present in Newark’s water source, Houck said.