Due to recent NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations setting new Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), and test results on Hawthorne Water, the Borough of Hawthorne has issued and advisory notice to all Hawthorne Water customers regarding PFOA and PFOS in the water.. The DEP has said that neither PFOA nor PFOS is deemed an "acute contaminant," and the notice issued to Hawthorne by the DEP to the Borough is NOT a “do not drink” order. Anticipating the eventual outcome of testing, the Borough took action in June to begin design of a treatment system to remove these chemicals. PFOA and PFOS are man-made chemicals, used in the manufacture of a wide variety of consumer products, that have entered water supplies throughout New Jersey and the United States, including the aquifer from which Hawthorne's wells draw its water, primarily via industrial discharges, The Borough is considering legal action against the manufacturers of these chemicals to recover the money being spent on treatment. More information on this topic is available on the Water Department page..