PFAS and the Camas Water System

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your question. The updated PFAS requirements associated with the Hazard Index calculation became effective in January 2026. The City is not ignoring these updated requirements. Our water quality monitoring schedule is established through the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Water Quality Monitoring Schedule (WQMS), and our first required sampling event under the updated requirements was recently completed in accordance with that schedule.

The City is currently awaiting laboratory results from this most recent sampling event, which are expected within the next couple of weeks. The updated testing includes the additional PFAS compounds associated with the Hazard Index calculation requirements.

City staff also proactively contacted DOH to discuss the Hazard Index requirements and how they apply to our system. Based on prior sampling data and discussions with DOH, the concentrations of the additional PFAS compounds associated with the Hazard Index calculation have historically been well below reporting and regulatory concern thresholds in our system. Based on those discussions and historical data, DOH did not indicate that the Hazard Index would be anticipated to present a compliance concern for the City; however, the City will continue monitoring and evaluating updated sampling results as they become available.

Previous public communications referenced the standards and sampling information that were applicable and available at the time they were issued. As updated sampling results become available under the new 2026 requirements, the City will continue coordinating with DOH and updating information provided to the public as appropriate.

The City also reviewed irrigation-related water usage associated with City parks and facilities as part of evaluating overall summer demand impacts.

For context, total system production in July 2025, which represented the City’s peak demand month, was approximately 232 million gallons. By comparison, production in April 2025 was approximately 110 million gallons. This illustrates the significant seasonal increase in water demand that occurs during the summer months, largely associated with outdoor irrigation and other seasonal uses across the community.

Staff pulled 2025 consumption data associated with park-related accounts. Some accounts are specifically identified as irrigation-only, while others may also include restroom or other facility water usage. Even using the higher combined totals, July usage associated with those park accounts was approximately 4.9 million gallons.

While the City continually evaluates opportunities for conservation and operational efficiencies within its own facilities and irrigation practices, this amount represents a relatively small percentage of the overall seasonal increase in systemwide summer demand. Based on the data reviewed, eliminating all identified park-related usage alone would not reduce demand sufficiently to avoid the operational need for Well 13 during peak summer conditions.

The difference between April and July production in 2025 was approximately 122 million gallons. This demonstrates the magnitude of increased seasonal demand that occurs during peak summer months and the operational challenge associated with reducing overall system demand to levels that would fully offset the need for additional production sources during those periods.

The City will continue evaluating conservation measures, operational practices, and public outreach efforts as part of its broader water system management responsibilities while also ensuring the water system can continue meeting Department of Health permitting requirements related to reliable water supply, fire flow capacity, and system pressure obligations during peak demand periods.

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your questions. The City of Camas Well 13 treatment system currently under construction is designed to remove PFAS from drinking water using ion exchange media. This process works by capturing and binding PFAS compounds onto the resin media as water passes through the system, effectively removing PFAS from the water rather than destroying it. Media used for PFAS removal that is spent will be collected by the supplier and incinerated. The remaining ash product will be PFAS free and can then be disposed of, most likely by landfilling. Since we have not yet gone through this process and treatment/disposal practices are continuing to evolve, other options may be available by the time the City completes its first media exchange in 2030 or later.

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your questions. We understand and appreciate that safe drinking water is a top priority for our community, and we want to provide some additional context on how the City manages its water system.

The City’s water system is designed to meet overall demand, particularly during the summer months when usage increases significantly due to irrigation and other seasonal needs. Well 13 is an important part of that system. If it is not operated during peak demand periods, the City would not be able to reliably meet water demand or maintain required system pressures for residential use and fire protection. In addition, the City is required by the Washington State Department of Health to provide adequate and reliable water service to meet system demand. Not operating available sources like Well 13 during high-demand periods could put the City out of compliance with those requirements.

It is also important to note that the water provided by the City continues to meet current state and federal drinking water standards. PFAS is a national issue, and regulations currently require monitoring and testing, along with compliance with established limits at a future date. The City is actively addressing this through the construction of a PFAS treatment system at Well 13, which is anticipated to be completed in early 2027. This will provide a long-term solution.

We understand the suggestions related to limiting water use or providing alternative drinking water supplies. While conservation is always encouraged, implementing and enforcing a citywide ban on irrigation or other water uses would be difficult to administer and would not fully eliminate the need to meet baseline system demand. Similarly, programs to provide bottled water or distribute filtration systems to all customers would be logistically complex and require resources beyond what the City currently has available.

The City’s approach has been to focus on implementing a reliable, long-term treatment solution while continuing to safely and responsibly operate the water system in compliance with all applicable regulations.

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your question. The City is currently assessing funding to complete an environmental review, permitting and final deign of a new drinking water treatment facility to address PFAS contamination in the City's Lower Well Field. Staff recently visited with state and federal legislators to request funding help for the project as well. No timeline has been established yet.

Thank you for using Engage Camas and thank you for your question. Once completed, the City's updated groundwater model will assist in describing probable water flow paths in the aquifer. In turn, the model’s flow paths may help to refine the list of possible contaminant sources. Model completion is currently slated for March or April. 

Once the list of contaminant sources is refined, the City could apply enhanced methods for tracing or 'fingerprinting' specific contaminant sources, if warranted. Several additional data collection and site characterization steps would support contaminant source identification such as: 

• additional sampling programs targeting PFAS sources that may be contributing to contamination; and
• creation of a CSM (Groundwater Conceptual Site Model) to describe likely sources and pathways, refining it as new information is identified.

The upcoming analysis of the groundwater model will help the City decide if further, enhanced methods for tracing specific sources are warranted. Understanding probable flow paths may allow for a clearer understanding of PFAS with respect to the aquifer dynamics without enhanced tracing methods. Further, these enhanced PFAS tracing efforts do not guarantee identification of point source contamination. Similar efforts across the State of Washington have found that the ubiquity of PFAS in groundwater makes it difficult to pinpoint contamination from certain sources. Also, due to its proximity to City water sources, the need for additional investigations at the Georgia Pacific property are being evaluated. We are awaiting additional studies and investigation by Georgia Pacific, but the timelines of these efforts are outside of the City's control.

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.