Eau Claire is latest city facing 'forever chemical' contamination after the substance is found in 4 city wells

Another Wisconsin city has shut some of its wells after the discovery of elevated levels of "forever chemicals" were detected. 

The City of Eau Claire announced Monday evening that four of its municipal wells were shut off following testing that showed PFAS levels higher than the recommended level of 20 parts per trillion by the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health Services. The wells with elevated levels showed results ranging from 21 to 70 parts per trillion, according to city documents. 

“We have taken swift action to protect the public’s health and safety by immediately shutting down wells that had PFAS levels above newly recommended standards,” said Dave Solberg, interim city manager. “Because the wells were immediately shut down, Eau Claire residents do not need to stop drinking or using water from the city’s water supply.”

The other 12 city wells either had no detectable levels of PFAS or levels below the recommended state standards. 

The city conducts regular tests of its drinking water, with the most recent results in June 2020 and April 2021. Both of those tests showed levels under the recommended standards. But earlier this month, voluntary testing results were interpreted using a new system, leading the city to shut down the wells out of caution. 

Lane Berg, Eau Claire's utilities manager, said the most recent tests came after the implementation of a new hazard index for PFAS set by the state, which takes into consideration all PFAS that have a recommended groundwater enforcement standard.

The index was applied to previous tests taken at the entry of water into the drinking system, and though it was below recommended standards, more testing was suggested by the DNR and DHS. 

"The hazard index indicated that we should do additional testing," Berg said. "We then found four wells that had elevated numbers, but those entry point samples, which is the last point of piping before the water enters distribution, was never above the standards."

Berg said the city would continue to work with the state to keep residents informed and to identify any possible sources for the contamination. The city is working to identify a treatment system currently, and once one is decided upon, it will be installed and go through rigorous testing to make sure that it filters water sufficiently. 

Testing of uncontaminated wells will now be done every two weeks, Berg said, to ensure that the contamination isn't spreading. 

In the meantime, if residents are concerned about exposure to the chemicals, the city encourages use of an alternative water source, such as purified or filtered bottled water, for drinking and cooking. The city will not be providing bottled water in this case, as water from the other wells is still drinkable. 

PFAS found throughout the state

Eau Claire is the latest of more than 50 Wisconsin cities to discover PFAS in its drinking water. 

French Island, outside of La Crosse, was recently discovered a large PFAS contamination, originating from the city-owned La Crosse Municipal Airport. More than 2,000 people on the island are reliant on bottled water, paid for by the city or the DNR. 

Milwaukee, Madison, Marinette, Peshtigo and Rhinelander have all faced similar struggles. 

More: What are PFAS? Here's what you need to know about the emerging contaminants known as 'forever chemicals'

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing and carpet, nonstick cookware, packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the environment and human body over time.  

The chemicals have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems, altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid hormones. The chemicals enter the human body largely through drinking water.

The chemicals aren't currently regulated by the federal government and the state only has recommended standards. The Republican-controlled Legislature has shot down several attempts to pass legislation setting standards, along with other mitigation tactics for impacted communities. 

Rep. Jodi Emerson, D- Eau Claire, said she wasn't surprised to hear the news about the chemicals being found in her district. 

"The more testing we're doing, the more we'll find," she said of PFAS. "I'm disappointed that this has hit my hometown but it's happening in quite a few communities in the state. It's sad, it's scary, but I guess I'm not surprised." 

In a Monday press release, Emerson asked her colleagues in the Legislature to take up the recently introduced CLEAR Act, to help the communities bearing the weight of PFAS contaminations. But, she said, it's unlikely to get any further this year, citing pushback from business and manufacturing groups and a lack of interest from Republican leadership to take action on PFAS. 

Republicans argue that PFAS are still an emerging contaminant, unregulated by the federal government and lacking numerous studies across the thousands of chemicals in the family.

Emerson said she's especially concerned about the amount of weight the pushback from industry is being given with this issue, because PFAS can be so toxic. 

"When manufacturing is part of the problem, we need them at the table to be part of the solution, but as history has shown, we can't let them police themselves," she said. 

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on Twitter at @SchulteLaura.