Statewide assessment, land use patterns, and source apportionment of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl compounds across New Jersey monitoring wells, watershed management areas, and regions
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Duke Ophori
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 10:30 AM
End Date
25-4-2025 11:29 AM
Description
PFAS exposure through drinking water is a national concern in the United States. In New Jersey (NJ), previous studies have focused more on other settings, neglecting watershed management areas (WMAs), the hydrological unit of water resources management. This study represents the inaugural statewide investigation on the occurrence, geospatial distribution, land use patterns, and sources of PFAS across all NJ's monitoring wells, WMAs, and regions integrating geospatial tools, Spearman correlation, PCA-varimax model, and other statistical techniques. The results revealed that at least one PFAS compound exceeds acceptable limits in most WMAs with Arthur Kill and Assiscunk Crosswicks Doctors being the most and least threatened areas respectively. Northeast is the most polluted region while the Northwest is the least. The most dominant compound is PFOA, while PFDA is the least common. Short-chain compounds were notably high, geospatial mapping showed the most threatened wells in NJ, while proximity analysis identified combined sewers as the top studied contaminating factor, followed by landfills, airports, superfund sites, and hazardous waste facilities. Aquifer characteristics and land use patterns were found to significantly influence PFAS levels, with urban areas, unconfined, stratified, and Passaic formations being the most threatened. Spearman correlation and source apportionment pinpointed distinct relationships, contamination profiles, and hotspots for all studied compounds, WMAs, and regions. The findings highlight the widespread nature of PFAS contamination in NJ and the outsize role of combined sewers, urbanization, watersheds, and aquifer characteristics in influencing PFAS crises. Smart detectors connected to phones are needed to report any trace amounts in homes.
Statewide assessment, land use patterns, and source apportionment of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl compounds across New Jersey monitoring wells, watershed management areas, and regions
PFAS exposure through drinking water is a national concern in the United States. In New Jersey (NJ), previous studies have focused more on other settings, neglecting watershed management areas (WMAs), the hydrological unit of water resources management. This study represents the inaugural statewide investigation on the occurrence, geospatial distribution, land use patterns, and sources of PFAS across all NJ's monitoring wells, WMAs, and regions integrating geospatial tools, Spearman correlation, PCA-varimax model, and other statistical techniques. The results revealed that at least one PFAS compound exceeds acceptable limits in most WMAs with Arthur Kill and Assiscunk Crosswicks Doctors being the most and least threatened areas respectively. Northeast is the most polluted region while the Northwest is the least. The most dominant compound is PFOA, while PFDA is the least common. Short-chain compounds were notably high, geospatial mapping showed the most threatened wells in NJ, while proximity analysis identified combined sewers as the top studied contaminating factor, followed by landfills, airports, superfund sites, and hazardous waste facilities. Aquifer characteristics and land use patterns were found to significantly influence PFAS levels, with urban areas, unconfined, stratified, and Passaic formations being the most threatened. Spearman correlation and source apportionment pinpointed distinct relationships, contamination profiles, and hotspots for all studied compounds, WMAs, and regions. The findings highlight the widespread nature of PFAS contamination in NJ and the outsize role of combined sewers, urbanization, watersheds, and aquifer characteristics in influencing PFAS crises. Smart detectors connected to phones are needed to report any trace amounts in homes.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.