Upper Township resident wants answers on mercury contamination

Since tests of her home’s water showed mercury contamination considerably higher than what is considered safe for human consumption, her family has relied on bottled water and traveled to a family member’s house for showers and to wash clothes.

“We kind of feel like we’re camping,” she said, seated at her dining room table.

Her house is on a quiet, leafy cul-de-sac set between Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway, with a vineyard just beyond the backyard. According to officials with the Cape May County Department of Health and the state Department of Environmental Protection, the wells of nine homes in the neighborhood have shown mercury contamination, and the residents have been advised against drinking the water.

The county health department dropped off bottled water at the homes. Officials there said the DEP has taken the lead on the response.

So far, DEP officials have had little to say. DEP spokesperson Caryn Shinske said the county department was still waiting for results from four more wells.

But she offered no further details about the DEP’s response, or what will happen next.

County and township officials said the DEP could provide a point-of-entry treatment system, or POET, to allow the removal of mercury and other contaminants, and there is a possibility of the homes eventually being connected to the public water system.

But the connection process could take years and cost millions of dollars. Many of the other homes in the Beesleys Point area already are tied into the New Jersey American Water Company, as is the nearby school. Gurdgiel showed a map showing the waterline connections, with Bayaire and Homestead roads conspicuously not included, although many other side streets are.

A 40-minute ride to shower

The wells were tested when the Gurdgiel family moved into the home. They showed some high concentrations of iron and other minor issues, which could be addressed with a good filter and water softener. There was also a trace amount of mercury. There were no indications of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” she said.

Those tests showed a mercury level of about 0.5 micrograms per liter. A microgram is one millionth of a gram, or one thousandth of a milligram, which is about the weight of a grain of sand. The state and federal regulations set the maximum amount for drinking water at 2, expressed as 2 ug/l.

The initial tests showed Gurdgiel’s well at 6,500 ug/l, she said. The highest level on the street was 16,000 ug/l. Another neighbor’s was at 12 ug/l, and other kinds of contamination have also been found in the neighborhood, including e. coli bacteria, she said.

Gurdgiel is a nurse, while her husband, Josh Gurdgiel, works for the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office. They have two children, ages 10 and 12.

The first indication that there was a problem came in August, when they were notified that a neighbor’s well showed contamination and that they should be tested. The testing company did not wait for county officials to notify the family, calling on Sept. 17 with a warning not to drink their water.

She and her husband have placed plastic bags over the taps so no one grabs a glass of water out of force of habit. They fill bottles elsewhere, and occasionally her husband will take a cold shower. Indications are that while drinking water contaminated with mercury may be bad, inhaling steam containing mercury is likely to be far worse, allowing the element to be absorbed into the lungs.

That means it’s about a 40-minute ride to shower and get water, and bring home enough water to wash dishes. She said it takes about 4 gallons to clean up the dishes. Some neighbors are not drinking their water or using it to cook but still bathe at home.

Meeting set for Tuesday

There was also no response from the DEP to a question about whether anyone would attend an upcoming meeting. Township Committee members have asked the DEP to send a representative to the next meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Township Hall, 2100 Tuckahoe Road.

There was no mention of the issue on the agenda for the meeting posted Friday.

Gurdgiel has questions, many more than she feels have been answered. For instance, are the pots and pans she used before the tests safe to use? How about the steel water bottles that the family had conscientiously filled rather than relying on plastic bottles? She also wonders whether mercury may have bound to the pipes in the house, creating problems after the well water contamination has been resolved.

What will be the impact on the ground around their home, from watering the grass, from the backwash from their water system? Could that have long-term impacts?

“Would you want your kids running in that? Do we want our kids playing in that?” she said. “To me, you can’t be too careful with your children.”

One of their kids was sick for months, complaining of stomach aches. Gurdgiel now wonders if there was any connection to the well water. She wants to get blood tests for the family to find out if there is mercury contamination in their bodies.

Mercury is the only metallic element to have a liquid form at room temperature. It has been used for a variety of purposes for eons and continues to be used for some purposes but less and less with the growing knowledge of how dangerous it can be, with exposure impacting the human nervous system, the immune system and kidneys.

After a recent interview, Gurdgiel had good news. Her water specialist told her the DEP had authorized the installation of a water filtration system with no charge to the homeowner.

“Amazing news,” she said.