PFAS and the Camas Water System

Thank you for your question and thank you for using Engage Camas. The City recently had a consultant complete a contaminant study which involved reviewing businesses which are currently operating, as well as previous businesses operating over a 30 year period in the catchment area for Well 13. Unfortunately, the Study found no obvious source of the PFAS.  

This ultimately leads us to believe that the contamination we're currently experiencing is from years of the product slowly entering the groundwater system from residential and commercial uses. 

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your question. The posting of the testing results was pending a letter being sent out to all residents per state guidelines. However, the results for Well 13 have been posted. The first sample was received on 6/17 by the lab and had a PFOS of 32.6 ppt and second sample was received 7/2 and PFOS was 46.9 ppt. Both are over the 15 ppt SAL (State Allowable Level). PFOA for the first sample was 5.81 ppt which is under the SAL of 10. The second sample was ND for all the other chemicals.

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your questions. Both wells that were out of operation for maintenance purposes are now operating. Three samples of Well 13 have been taken since it was activated in mid-May, all three were below the State Action Level of 15 ppt.

Thank you for using Engage Camas, and thank you for your comment and suggestion. This has been shared with staff.

Thank you for your comments/question and thank you for using Engage Camas. Investigating potential sources is part of the City’s current strategy and work program with our consultant team, including updating our current groundwater flow model. However, PFAS has been so broadly used over the last few decades that it’s been proven to be very difficult to find actual sources of contamination. The City will continue investigating, but will also be working on developing and evaluating treatment alternatives and other long-term strategies to provide water into the future.

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your comments. Unfortunately, due to water consumption, we can not turn off Well 13 during the summer months, unless we have an alternative source. Please note, your comments have been made public and will be shared with Administration and Staff. 

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your questions. The CCR is due in July each year, and we usually try to make it available by June. Please note, we will post it to this site once it's complete. In terms of testing, the most recent test for 2024 were conducted in March. We're awaiting the results and will post as soon as we receive those. 

Thank you for using Engage Camas. All of these items have been, and are being, reviewed in one form or another through staff and current on-call consultants (hydrogeologists). In addition to current staff and on-call consultants, the City has also began the process of bringing on a larger team to review the potential effects of the PFAS on the system that we’ve seen to date, complete further investigation, develop options for treatment, help track EPA rulemaking, etc. Since being made aware of the PFAS in the water system, the City has been primarily focused on trying to determine the extent of PFAS in our groundwater sources (wells) and throughout the system as that is the most pressing issue. Though there is no immediate apparent contaminate area around the wells, more specifically around Well 13 which has PFAS levels above the State Action Level, the City has also began a process to monitor areas around Well 13 to determine the extent of the PFAS plume in the groundwater. It’s anticipated that additional investigation will occur around not only Well 13, but also around the Lower Washougal River Wellfield once we have additional consultant resources available. As discussed above, to date, the City has been using staff and our on-call hydrogeologists to monitor EPAs proposed rulemaking and has begun the process of bringing on a larger team to review the potential effects of the PFAS on the system that we’ve seen to date, complete further investigation, develop options for treatment, help track EPA rulemaking, etc. 

Thank you for using Engage Camas and sorry for the delayed reply. Well 13 is located on Cramer Lane off of 1^st Avenue to the southeast of Louis Bloch Park. The City continues to put significant resources towards this topic to determine the best path forward for the community. Please continue to check back to the Engage Camas site for updated information. 

Thank you for using Engage Camas and sorry for the delayed reply. Thank you for your husband’s service. Unfortunately, the City is not compensating individuals or households for the purchase of filters. PFAS limits are based on long-term health exposures and if you’re concerned about the need to use filtered water, we recommend that you speak with your health care provider. If you decide to use filters in your home, we would also recommend that you use reliable sources like the Environmental Protection Agency or Washington State Department of Health to find products that have been certified to remove PFAS. Links to these pages can be found in the included FAQs on the Engage Camas site. Because this is a world-wide issue, there are also a multitude of reliable scientific agencies that have completed research on available filters and their efficacy in removing PFAS.