Wednesday was a day of quiet celebration for a growing number of Wisconsin residents concerned about the presence of PFAS in the water they drink.
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board unanimously OK'd the DNR’s request to draft standards to limit four PFAS chemicals in groundwater.
PFAS is the general term attached to a vast family of manmade chemicals characterized as “forever” because they don’t break down naturally.
Beth Neary was among the impassioned people urging for approval. As a pediatrician, Neary, is especially concerned about children’s health.
“The reason is children drink more water in relation to their body weight. Also, all of their organs are growing and developing very rapidly, more so than us, as adults. And third, they have a longer time to accumulate these chemicals,” Neary says.
READ As PFAS cases persist, Wisconsin takes baby steps toward regulating the forever chemicals
Town of Campbell board member Lee Donahue echoed Neary’s call for action. Ninety-seven percent of Campbell homes tested for PFAS tested positive.
“And that was nearly two years ago, since then the PFAS plumes have grown, contamination levels have risen. PFAS moves around but it doesn’t go away,” Donahue says.
Donahue spoke of one child in her town. “At a recent holiday event, the second child to sit on Santa’s lap asked for clean water. Think about that, not a toy, not a bicycle, he asked for safe water,“ Donahue says.
This isn’t the first time the DNR attempted to create PFAS standards for groundwater.
Early this year, the Natural Resources Board OK'd conservative standards for drinking and surface water, but said no to groundwater.
READ Wisconsin Natural Resources Board says no to regulating PFAS in groundwater
This time around, while board chair Greg Kazmierski added his support, he cautioned about over-promising what a groundwater standard can deliver.
"I don't think we should be overselling that as soon as this passes, PFAS is going to go away because it's not. It's a much bigger problem," Kazmierski says.
Jim Zellmer with the DNR’s environmental management division laid out what the standard is and is not intended to achieve. Private owners would not be required to test their wells.
"What it would is it would set a public health standard that a private well owner if they had their well sampled, they could make an informed decision on the safety for their family as to what they want to do. It also makes them eligible. We have an expanded well compensation program that would allow them to find a safe alternative source for water," Zellmer says. "Whether it be drilling deeper to get away from the PFAS contamination, connecting to either a public water supply or another private well, or installing treatment if there's no source available."
Even if the Natural Resources Board’s support remains unwavering, Wednesday marked the first step in a long rule making process, that includes a public hearing that’s not expected to happen until July 2024.
Up until recently, there has been no action at the federal level on PFAS standards. However, in recent months the EPA updated health advisory for two of the chemicals, and is expected to release a draft national drinking water regulation before this year ends.
Zellmer says that timing is good for Wisconsin.
“Their plan is to finalize that rule before the end of 2023. We’ll be able to use not only their proposed rule but ultimately their final rule as we work with our stakeholders to establish a groundwater standard,” Zellmer says.
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