Wells should be tested

More than anywhere else in Monmouth County, the majority of residents of the panhandle are served by wells and septic systems. Millstone remains the only municipality in the county to rely exclusively on wells and septic systems, while nearly all the residents in Upper Freehold are in a similar situation.

Residents who rely on wells for their drinking water should pay careful attention to what the Pannick family, who resides in both Millstone and Upper Freehold, has to say about the dangers that contaminated groundwater can pose to the health of residents.

As one member of the Pannick family points out, many residents who are new to the area (and there are many since both Millstone and Upper Freehold are expanding rapidly) may not be familiar with wells and septic systems.

The Pannicks believe that dangerous chemicals, which seeped into the groundwater from a contaminated gas station site close to their former home in Hamilton Township, contributed to the cancer that both of their sons contracted as teenagers.

Although the groundwater in Millstone came up clean during a recent analysis, the state Department of Environmental Protection currently lists several sites around the local area as contaminated — 10 in Millstone and eight in Upper Freehold.

Periodic testing of wells is advisable for all residents — and should be required before the sale of any property, as new regulations will require in the fall.

No matter how unlikely many people think it may be that contamination could personally affect them or their families, ask the Pannick family. They’ll tell you just how possible it is.