EPA’s Recent Update on PFAS in Drinking Water

Lakewood Water District response to the EPA's new MCL (click for more information) (4/10/24)

“Lakewood Water District is committed to both the protection of public health, and we share EPA’s desire to keep harmful levels of PFAS out of the nation’s drinking water. We support setting national drinking water standards for PFAS that protect all consumers, including the most sensitive populations. We also stand for strong source water protection to prevent PFAS contamination and increased investment in PFAS research. We stand for transparency and support requirements for utilities to actively share PFAS monitoring results and other water quality information with consumers.”

Lakewood Water District has always placed the highest priority on public health and ensuring drinking water is safe, high-quality and meets all regulatory standards. On June 15, 2022, the EPA issued new lifetime health advisory levels to manage the risk for a group of man-made chemicals in drinking water called PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

We understand that these types of updates from EPA can cause confusion and concern, especially about something as critical as your drinking water. We want to assure you that we remain committed to providing safe, reliable drinking water and that your water continues to meet all State and Federal drinking water requirements. The information below is meant to explain EPA’s action and describe Lakewood Water District’s ongoing efforts regarding PFAS. 

First, what are PFAS compounds?

Since the 1940s, PFAS compounds have been widely used in the manufacturing of carpets, clothing, fabrics for furniture, paper packaging for food and other materials. They are also used for firefighting and in industrial processes. There are currently thousands of different PFAS chemicals. The EPA says most people are exposed to these chemicals through consumer products. Drinking water can be an additional source of exposure in communities where these chemicals have entered the water supplies. Studies estimate around 98% of people in the US have PFAS in their blood.

EPA regulates the safe levels for hundreds of compounds in drinking water. Currently, there is no federal regulation for PFAS. EPA is focused on a small number of these compounds that may have health effects at very low concentrations, two of which are Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS).

Most uses of PFOA and PFOS were voluntarily phased out by U.S. manufacturers in the mid-2000s. There are a limited number of ongoing uses, and these chemicals remain in the environment due to their persistence and the inability to degrade. 

EPA also published lifetime health advisory levels for two other PFAS compounds 1) hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) dimer acid and its ammonium salt (referred to as “GenX chemicals"); and 2) perfluorobutane sulfonic acid and its potassium salt (PFBS). In chemical and product manufacturing, GenX chemicals are considered a replacement for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and PFBS is considered a replacement for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).

Lakewood Water District first detected PFAS in our wells in 2016 and has actively worked to communicate with customers about this issue and the steps we are taking to reduce customers exposure to PFAS including taking wells out of service and building treatment plants to remove PFAS.

Where did The PFAS come from?

Our research points to the most likely source of the PFAS is from coming from Joint Base Lewis and McCord. The base has been using Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam (AFFF) for training purposes and in fire protection systems for over 30 years.

What is the EPA’s Health Advisory Level and what does it mean?

Setting drinking water regulations is a lengthy process. A health advisory level is based on much research and is commonly a first step in EPA developing a regulation.

On June 15, 2022 the EPA set new Interim Health Advisory Levels (HALs) for PFOA at 0.004 parts per trillion and 0.02 parts per trillion for PFOS. Final HALs were also set for GenX chemicals at 10 parts per trillion and 2,000 parts per trillion for PFBS. These are microscopic levels, trace amounts. For perspective, 1 part per trillion is equal to 1 drop in 500,000 barrels of water. These new health advisories for PFOA and PFOS are also below current reliable detection abilities of scientific equipment (Scientists can currently detect PFAS compounds at 2 parts per trillion.)

Health advisories are not enforceable like regulations. Instead, the advisories are interim guidance before EPA develops a formal regulation. The health advisory level is the minimum concentration of a compound which may present health risks to an individual over a lifetime of exposure.  Because there is uncertainty of the health effects associated with long-term exposure to compounds, EPA sets lower health advisories. Sometimes, the advisory is lower than current analytical methods can detect.

EPA first issued a health advisory level for PFOA and PFOS in 2016 at 70 parts per trillion. Because of further research and as EPA determines its regulatory approach, it has created a lower health advisory.

In addition to the EPA, several states have also established their own regulations and advisory levels for various PFAS compounds. In January 2022, the Washington State Department of Health established State Action Levels (SALs) for five PFAS compounds (including 3 of the same compounds in EPAs June 15, 2022 update). The SALs were established on research and scientific studies on potential health impacts over a lifetime of exposure. A comparison of EPA HALs and Washington SALs are summarized below.

What are the levels in Lakewood Water District’s drinking water?

The guidelines and regulations for PFAS vary between states, but the District has and will continue to work with the State Department of Health to meet all drinking water quality standards. To that end, the District has installed treatment systems to remove PFAS at four wells and has taken four additional wells out of service where they exceed the SALs.

Lakewood Water District samples many of our groundwater wells on a monthly basis for PFAS; all of our wells are sampled for PFAS at least annually. Our most current monitoring results for PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and PFBS show the following averages for wells not currently treated for PFAS removal:

What is Lakewood Water District doing about PFAS?

We have been testing our wells and actively taking steps to educate our customers and to reduce PFAS in drinking water since 2016, specifically:

• Continuing to determine the levels of PFAS in our water with additional monitoring and identifying any patterns
• Actively working with the community to provide regular updates and education on what PFAS is, potential health effects, and regulations
• Installed treatment facilities to remove PFAS at four wells
• Taken four wells out of service due to PFAS levels
• Drilled new wells to increase capacity and replace wells impacted by PFAS
• Expanded capacity at existing wells where PFAS has not been detected
• Secured grant funding to offset costs associated with PFAS treatment
• Planning for additional PFAS mitigation at additional District wells
• Working with industry experts to better understand established and emerging treatment options
• Developing practical and feasible strategies to reduce levels of PFAS as EPA develops and finalizes its future drinking water standards.

The lower the level, the lower the risk and as always, public health and the quality of your drinking water is our top priority.

As always, please reach out with questions or concerns. You can also find out more information about this topic on our website - https://www.lakewoodwater.org/lwd/page/pfas-topics. Additional information can be found on the State Department of Health’s website - https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/pfas