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Shane Pepe, the borough manager of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, knows exactly how his town’s drinking water became contaminated with these “forever chemicals.” The contamination originates from a firefighter training facility. For decades, fire-extinguishing foams containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) seeped into the local aquifer during training exercises.
“While our firefighters are practicing to save your life, they had no idea that at the same time the water system was getting poisoned,” he said.
Emmaus is among 839 water systems whose yearly average exceeded EPA limits for two types of forever chemicals. Together, these utilities serve 46 million Americans. These PFAS are nearly indestructible and can build up in nature and human bodies, increasing the risk of certain cancers and other health problems.
The EPA is nearing the end of a three-year initiative that requires most public drinking water systems to sample and report measurements for several types of forever chemicals. Places that have found contamination now need to find alternative sources of drinking water or install filtration systems within the next few years. The original deadline was 2029, but in May, the EPA announced plans for an extension.
Emmaus discovered contamination through state-mandated testing in late-2021. The borough immediately shut down one well and studied how to remedy another. Residents of Emmaus wanted to fix their water rather than become dependent by buying it from elsewhere.
Earlier this year, Emmaus won over $9 million in grant funding and a nearly $2 million loan from the state to install four enormous treatment tanks filled with granular-activated carbon that can filter out PFAS. The town expects construction to finish by June 2026.
Emmaus will need to raise water rates slightly to pay for ongoing maintenance, as it costs about $100,000 per year to replace the carbon filters. However, the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority’s grant will cover most of the costs.
Hundreds of other small water systems face similar challenges where local budgets may not suffice to remove PFAS without raising water rates. Several utility officials have told USA TODAY that it is not fair to pass these costs on their customers rather than the manufacturers and processors that created the contamination.
Industry groups representing water utilities sued the EPA last year, claiming the agency did not follow proper procedures when approving new PFAS limits. The lawsuit has been on hold since President Donald Trump took office, allowing the new administration time to review the limits.
After the EPA announced plans to rescind some PFAS limits in May, a federal judge said the agency now has until September 10 to clarify its position in the lawsuit.
Regardless of the outcome, Pepe says his customers’ lives and safety must come first. “We are being told by environmental agencies that these chemicals in the water are bad and have the potential to cause cancer and other illnesses,” he said. “We have a duty to mitigate this as quickly as possible, and so that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
