Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially set limits on six hazardous so-called forever chemicals, known as PFAS, in our drinking water. PFAS stands for a large family of toxic man-made chemical compounds. These chemicals have been used in many consumer and industry products since the 1940s. They are in fire-fighting foam, non-stick cookware, clothing, upholstery, carpets, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, and even dental floss. They’ve now been linked to negative health effects. Exposure to certain levels of PFAS can impact the body’s ability to fight infections and lead to reproductive effects or an increased risk of cancer. They are found everywhere at this point, so they inevitably end up in our water supply. In the Tampa Bay region, PFAS chemicals have been detected in amounts above the EPA limits in some of the water supplied by water utilities from both the City of Tampa Water, and Tampa Bay Water which supplies drinking water to Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties, the cities of New Port Richey and St. Petersburg. But, according to the water quality experts who appeared on MidPoint Wednesday, there is no need to panic. The utilities plan to bring in new technology that will make it easier to filter out these PFAS chemicals.
No Need to Panic!
Tampa Bay Water gets its water supply from multiple sources, including groundwater, surface water, seawater desalinization, and some wells, and the amount of PFAS over the EPA limits in these water sources is small, according to Steve Fleischacker, Water Quality Services Senior Manager for Tampa Bay Water. Since July 2023, Tampa Bay Water has been testing the regional drinking water supply for the six regulated PFAS, alongside its member utilities, during EPA’s nationwide study. The regional utility has completed three of four quarters of PFAS testing so far. In fact, Tampa Bay Water can measure more PFAS chemicals and amounts smaller than the limits set by the EPA which were selected based on the kind and amount of PFAS that most utilities around the country can test for. Tampa Bay Water will continue to monitor and test for PFAS and work to remove even the small excess amounts of regulated PFAS that have shown up in the water from only one of their regional delivery sites in South Hillsborough County as they plan to address the new regulations. In 2023, Tampa Bay Water completed a study on the effectiveness of treatment technologies that address total organic carbon. These water treatment methods are recommended by the EPA to address PFAS and other constituents of emerging concern. Their study provides a framework for using the technologies recognized by EPA as the most effective for treating PFAS and developing the treatment systems necessary to put the technologies in place.
The City of Tampa gets its water from the Hillsborough River which is filled with organic matter. Tampa did find slightly elevated levels of two of six PFAS in its drinking water supplies. According to Sarah Burns, the City of Tampa’s Water Department Capital Improvement Program Director, the City of Tampa is well ahead of the curve in addressing this as they have already been testing for PFAS for more than a year. Now, they will likely be the very first utility in the nation to bring in new filtration technology from the Netherlands called SIX or Suspended Ion Exchange. SIX removes organic matter like decaying vegetation from the water which allows the SIX system to better filter out PFAS chemicals. Tampa’s water department would be the first in the country to have this system and put it into operation. Tampa Bay Water will also benefit from the City of Tampa’s pioneering efforts to utilize the SIX system in its smaller water quality treatment efforts as the larger regional utility develops and prioritizes its treatment systems for its many regional water delivery sites.
Who Pays for This Remediation?
Brandon Moore, the spokesperson for Tampa Bay Water, acknowledges that water utility rates will probably be increased to accommodate the new technologies and treatment required to remove PFAS chemicals from our water. The utility is also part of a lawsuit against manufacturers of PFAS, like 3M and DuPont, to recover the cost of removing the chemicals that have been manufactured and sold by these companies. The City of Tampa water customers are already paying for the planned new treatment system and will continue to do so with rate increases through 2040 as it is part of an infrastructure improvement plan already approved by the City Council. But, this technology is also expected to be more efficient and save the City money in the long run. Both utilities also will rely on federal infrastructure grants to fund these improvements as well.
You Can Help Too
Developing these systems and constructing the facilities to remove PFAS from our water will take time. Our experts suggest that in the meantime, home water filtration systems can help with our water quality. They suggest visiting the EPA website to find filters that are EPA-certified to remove PFAS from the water. You can also visit toxicfreefuture.org and PFASCentral.org for more information on consumer products and packaging that incorporate PFAS and try to avoid them, along with finding those products that are PFAS-free.
The whole show is available for listening on demand from our archives at WMNF.org/midpoint, on the WMNF app, or as a WMNF podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
