Nearly half of Lancaster County residents have water with elevated 'forever chemicals' - LNP | LancasterOnline

Nearly half of Lancaster County residents have water with elevated 'forever chemicals' | Local News | lancasteronline.com

The second round of state-mandated testing for forever chemicals, known as PFAS, reveal that 22 of Lancaster County’s 65 monitored drinking water systems tested at or above the federal contaminant limit for the cancer-linked compounds. Those systems serve nearly 239,000 residents, or 43% of the county’s population.

Only one of the county’s monitored drinking water systems - Oregon Dairy Inc. - saw test results that lowered its annual average below the federal limit, which is much stricter than Pennsylvania’s current state standards and will be fully enforceable in 2029.

State-mandated quarterly testing began in January. Public and community water systems serving more than 350 people are required to report results to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Reporting compliance increased, as second quarter results contain only three missing reports compared to seven from the first quarter. All 65 monitored drinking water systems in Lancaster County have now reported at least one PFAS test result to the DEP. The next round of test results are due to the department by the end of September.

Water Table by Travis Kellar on Scribd

The reporting process drove a dramatic change at one county location: Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community. Their first quarter results came in approximately four times higher than the state limits and averaged 16 times higher than the federal limit. Their second quarter results dropped to zero.

The change resulted from the retirement community reassessing its well use, DEP spokesperson John Repetz reported. The community has three permitted wells but routinely only uses two due to low yield in the third. After a high PFAS test result in the first quarter, officials noted that only one well was in use at that time.

“At the advice of DEP, they sampled raw water from the other well located on the opposite side of their campus. That well was non-detect (ND) for PFOS and PFOA, and they fully switched to using just that well,” Repetz said in an email. “When the second quarter entry point sample was taken, the second well was the only one in use. As a long term solution, officials are investigating connecting to the Quarryville Borough system, and discontinuing use of their wells.”

Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community did not return multiple requests for comment.

Reassessing water supplies

Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community, which serves 750 residents, is far from the only county water system reassessing its water supply strategy in light of the 2029 deadline for enforcing the stricter federal standards.

Nearly all of the drinking water systems LNP | LancasterOnline contacted said they are in wait-and-see mode to determine what additional water treatments might be necessary to install, but Manheim Area Water & Sewer Authority is incorporating an ion-membrane filter into plans for a new water treatment plant.

The authority, which serves 6,701 residents in Manheim Borough, and Penn and Rapho townships, has estimated that construction of the new plant, including the filter system, will cost approximately $7.5 million. The new plant will be located at 270 W. Colebrook St. in Manheim Borough.

Nicknamed forever chemicals because of how slowly they break down over time, PFAS are man-made chemicals manufactured to repel oil and water. PFAS is an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Common uses include carpet and furniture treatments, waterproof clothing, nonstick cookware and firefighting foam.

Pennsylvania’s regulations focus on two PFAS: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that there is no safe level as these chemicals are linked to cancer, reduced immune response and liver damage.

The state set maximum contaminant levels of 14 parts per trillion for PFOA and 18 for PFOS, while the federal limit is set at 4 ppt for both compounds.

One part per trillion is equivalent to a single drop of PFAS in a water volume equal to 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.