AEG Event 1/22/26: PFAS in NJ Soil

AEG NY-P DINNER MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in New Jersey Soils:

A Statewide Investigation

By Jennifer Willemsen, Ph.D., Research Scientist

NJDEP – Contaminated Site Remediation & Redevelopment

Bureau of Environmental Evaluation & Risk Assessment

January 22, 2026

At the Clarion Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey

Time:

Social Hour 6:00 pm – 6:45 pm    /    Dinner 6:45 pm – 7:45 pm

Presentation begins at 8:00 pm

Place:

Clarion Hotel     /     60 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873     /     (732) 560-9880

RSVP:

End of Business, Tuesday, January 20, 2026. A timely RSVP is appreciated!

Please register for the talk on our events webpage. 

Links to pay in advance will be emailed once you register. 

Please note, more than one individual can be registered at a time.
Also, don't forget to add the event to your calendar from our website!
Reminder to regular attendees - you do not need to login to register!

Cost:

In-Person Attendance Registration Fees -
$40 for AEG members  /  $50 non-members  
$5 for students with RSVP  /  Professors attend as our guests at no charge

Remote Attendance Registration Fee - $15.00
No LSRP CEC credits will be offered for remote attendance.
Remote Registration cut-off: Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Important: The online payment links will be sent to you after you register. 

 Guests are always welcome! Pay at the door by check, cash, or credit card. 
Make check payable to AEG.

Please RSVP in advance to avoid $5 walk-in fee, effective February 2025.

CECs:

One Professional Development Hour (PDH) will be awarded for attending the presentation.

SRPLB Approval for One Hour of LSRP Continuing Education Credit (CEC) will be requested.

ABSTRACT

In September 2025, the report, "Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in New Jersey Soils: A Statewide Investigation," was published by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This is the first comprehensive study to assess the occurrence of PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” in soils across New Jersey.

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate and quantify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance 

concentrations in New Jersey soils. A total of 157 samples were collected from surficial soils in all 21 counties at locations spatially distant from known PFAS contamination or presumptive sources of potential PFAS contamination to investigate potential impacts from atmospheric 

deposition. Samples were analyzed for 40 PFAS compounds, and the synthetic precipitation 

leaching procedure was used to evaluate contaminant leachability. All measured concentrations were below the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP’s) current interim residential and non-residential soil remediation standards for PFAS compounds. The results also suggest that the large majority of samples would not exceed site-specific NJDEP’s interim soil remediation standards for the migration to ground water exposure pathway.

Maps of estimated concentration contours generated using Empirical Bayesian Kriging for PFNA (top left), PFUnA (top right), PFOS (bottom left), PFOA (bottom right), and total PFAS (center)

SPEAKER BIO

Jennifer Willemsen, Ph.D., is a research scientist with a decade of experience evaluating the fate and transport of emerging organic contaminants. Currently she is serving as a PFAS technical expert within the Contaminated Site Remediation and Redevelopment program at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.