The New Rule for PFAS in Drinking Water - What it means for me in Camas.

The EPA has worked diligently over more than a decade to study and issue a Safe Drinking Water rule that sets the maximum contaminant level (MCL) allowed in drinking water for several different Per - and Polyfluoroalykl Substances (PFAS) compounds and mixtures of these compounds. Known as "forever chemicals"  their complex chemical structures do not readily break down in the environment and are known to bioaccumulate in humans and mammals and create numerous health risks.

So how bad is our groundwater? It is estimated by the US Geological Survey that PFAS now contaminates approximately 45% of the nation's drinking water sources including public and private wells. Two specific compounds, Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as well as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), pose the highest risk in drinking water and the MCL for these two substances has been set at 4 parts per trillion (ppt) or nanograms per liter (ng/L). Both PFOA and PFOS have been found in concentrations exceeding this new MCL for drinking water in several of the City's wells and nearly ALL system tests for the reservoirs that store and pipes that convey our drinking water. Well 13 (which has temporarily been shut down) has exceeded this new standard for PFOS by over 6 times the required MCL. 

And what does this mean for me as a resident drinking water supplied by the City of Camas?  The City has up to five years to design and install treatment to reduce these contaminants below the required maximum contaminant levels. The good news is that a consultant hired by the City earlier this month has begun fast-tracking the design of treatment for just one of the contaminated wells (Well 13) to bring that well into compliance with the new rule (which will become a US Regulation once published in the Code of Federal Regulations later this year). 

And now for the rest of the story...While Camas is in compliance with the state of Washington's advisory levels on each of the wells, the reality is all they MUST do right now is notify the residents if/when a well exceeds the state action level. No treatment is required until the Federal regulation prescribed cutoff (compliance for treatment 5 years from now). Moreover, how do we address the other contaminated wells and system tests that have exceeded the new established MCL?

The elephant in the room. We must quit ignoring the "elephant in the room" - the source of the PFAS - and put steps in place to identify and quickly remediate that source and have the responsible party(ies) who caused that contamination pay for its cleanup. Finding the source is complex, however we have good science and knowledge about how groundwater moves, how surface waters interact with groundwater, and how groundwater quality is ultimately influenced by our actions on the land. While we do not know the source, we must vocalize finding the source as a priority to our elected officials and overseeing agencies. Without your voice, it's our pocketbooks that are paying the $1.6M dollar contract to the consultants advising the City on next steps while the contamination continues.  Additionally, the estimated cost for constructing the treatment system for Well 13 stands at $6.5 M dollars. That cost does NOT include the annual operation and maintenance costs for running that treatment system. 

What you can do to help. Helping out is a few clicks away. One way to have your voice heard is by clicking on this interactive map link to provide input to the City of Camas for their "Our Downtown Camas 2045" campaign. The map allows you to drop a pin and leave a short comment for opportunities or concerns you might have affecting areas such as public health and safety. You will already see several pins near the mill site where specific comments were shared. 

You can also support our online petition to expand the GP Mill cleanup investigation. 

We encourage you to follow this issue with us as we are tracking other important events such as a Public PFAS workshop session sponsored by the Department of Ecology early in the summer. Stay tuned.