PFAS and the Camas Water System

**Updated 7/12/24**

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the joint open house hosted by City of Camas, in conjunction with the Washington State Department of Ecology, Clark County Public Health and the Washington State Department of Health, July 9, 2024, at Lacamas Lake Lodge. For those that were unable to attend, please view the Open House Information Boards below, or through the Documents section to the right. For additional information visit: https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/pfas

**Update 5/21/24**

Information for Drinking Water Customers Regarding the City’s PFAS Response

This information is being provided to City of Camas, WA water system customers to inform you of the City’s ongoing response to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) within portions of the City’s groundwater sources (i.e. wells).

Status of Well 13

In accordance with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) requirements the City first notified customers in January of 2023 that one of the City’s ten well sources, Well 13, had PFAS detections that were slightly above the “State Action Level” (SAL). There was an average detection level of 15.8ppt and the SAL is 15 ppt. Since that time, the City has provided multiple notices to the public through various sources that Well 13 has been used seasonally as needed to meet water demands. Most recently, a social media/website announcement was made that Well 13 was turned on again on May 15^th as a cautionary measure after two of the City’s other wells had to be taken offline for mechanical service. The two wells are being repaired as quickly as possible, and in the meantime, Well 13 will only be used if the water demands get high enough that the City’s other remaining wells are not able to keep up. However, with the summer months nearly here, we also want our customers to understand that Well 13 will remain on and likely be used as a regular water source from June 1 through Fall 2024 when demands are less, at which time it would be turned off again through the winter.

You can help! Reducing your irrigation use to every other day (e.g. odd/even based on the last number of your address), or using native plantings and not irrigating at all, can minimize the need for the use of Well 13.

City’s PFAS Response Plan & New EPA Rule

In 2021, the Washington State Board of Health (SBOH) adopted a rule that required water system utilities, including the City of Camas, to test for PFAS. PFAS are a newer class of contaminants, that at the time, were not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As discussed above, the rule also requires the City to notify you if any test results exceed the SAL.

The City has taken the PFAS concern seriously and continues to be proactive in our approach to the water system. After volunteering in late 2020 to test our water system for PFAS prior to most other providers in the State, the City has been actively researching, sampling, monitoring and reviewing options with the City Council to help address PFAS within the City’s system on both a near-term and long-term basis. Most immediately, the City is currently designing treatment system improvements for Well 13, which will likely include the use of either granular activated carbon or ion exchange treatment media. Treatment for Well 13 is anticipated to be online in late 2025, and based on early estimates is anticipated to cost approximately $6,500,000.

In addition to designing treatment for Well 13, the City’s team of experts are also assisting the City with completion of a comprehensive PFAS response management plan which will include a comprehensive review of the City’s well sources and identification of all potential funding resources for future treatment or new water sources. We received some additional help towards this effort in April when the Nation finally received certainty regarding our target PFAS treatment levels from the EPA.

Exposure to PFAS occurs in various ways, including through drinking water. Because of the widespread use of PFAS in manufacturing, it has become a world-wide issue and one that until very recently, even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Safe Water Drinking Act did not address or provide guidance for the States or water providers to follow. On April 10, 2024, EPA announced their final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six specific PFAS. This included development of a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for PFOA, PFAS, PFHxS HFPO-DA and PFBS. EPA also finalized health-based, non-enforceable Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) for these same PFAS. The regulated MCLs and MCLGs are shown in the table below.

The final PFAS NPDWR Rule requires:

• Public water systems must monitor for these PFAS and have three years to complete initial monitoring (by 2027), followed by ongoing compliance monitoring. Water systems must also provide the public with information on the levels of these PFAS in their drinking water beginning in 2027.
• Public water systems have five years (by 2029) to implement solutions that reduce these PFAS if monitoring shows that drinking water levels exceed these MCLs.
• Beginning in five years (2029), public water systems that have PFAS in drinking water which violates one or more of these MCLs must take action to reduce levels of these PFAS in their drinking water and must provide notification to the public of the violation.

The NPDWR provides States an additional 2 years to create and adopt individual state regulations to be in compliance with the NPDWR. It is expected that DOH will adopt similar levels to EPA for utilities in Washington State. The City’s monitoring completed in 2021 and 2022 should count towards meeting the requirements in the first bullet and we are already moving on treatment options for Well 13. Even though the City’s other sources have been testing below the State Action Level of 15 ppt; unfortunately, based on prior PFOS test results greater than 4.0 ppt it appears that other City wells may now need additional monitoring under EPAs MCL. As such, as part of the City’s response management plan we will be monitoring all wells and investigating further to determine if additional treatment or alternative sources are needed to meet the new MCL.

This is of the highest priority for the City’s water system, and we are working as quickly as possible to get treatment in place and have a solid response management plan as a roadmap for the future.

The standards established by EPA are set to reduce PFAS to the lowest levels that are feasible for effective implementation. If you are concerned about the level of PFAS in your drinking water, consider installing an in-home water treatment (e.g., filters) that are certified to lower the levels of PFAS in your water. For more information: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/water-filter-fact-sheet.pdf

For fact sheets and more information on the new EPA National Primary Drinking Water regulation related to PFAS, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas

For more information related to the City’s water system and PFAS, please visit https://engagecamas.com/pfas-and-the-camas-water-system or contact Rob Charles, Utilities Manager (360-817-7003 or rcharles@cityofcamas.us) or Steve Wall, Public Works Director (360-817-7899 or swall@cityofcamas.us). Please do not hesitate to share this notice with others who may drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments and businesses).

We have also completed the 2023 Consumer Confidence Report, which you can find here: https://engagecamas.com/21559/widgets/70670/documents/55218

To view previous updates: https://engagecamas.com/21559/widgets/70670/documents/57246

*Please note, the City tests for numerous Perfluorinated Compounds that fall under PFAS, we will only show results that are detectable.

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