KALISPELL — The City of Kalispell issued a consumer drinking water notice in April after testing revealed that one of the public water system wells has PFAS higher than the established U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threshold.
PFAS are manufactured “forever” chemicals that can cause adverse health effects such as cancer. EPA officials and the City of Kalispell held a joint press conference Tuesday morning to discuss what’s being done to fix this issue.
“Congress set aside money specifically for emerging containments like PFAS. PFAS has been found here in Kalispell,” said EPA Region Administrator K.C. Becker.
The City of Kalispell's water supply will undergo changes and improvements thanks to $20 million in funding awarded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Kalispell Public Works Director Susie Turner said a new water tower is nearing completion off U.S. Highway 93.
“It’s a 1-million-gallon elevated water tower, it’s about 85% complete, we anticipate final completion to be next spring,” said Turner.
The City of Kalispell has implemented a temporary water treatment plan that helps eliminate PFAS. The temporary vessels sit at the site of the Grandview Wells, which tested PFAS levels above the EPA threshold.
“It’s 12 vessels and it actually treats both of our Grandview wells, a total of about 1,800 gallons of water per minute,” added Turner.
Turner said the allocated funding will come in phases, helping the city replace the two Grandview Wells over the next 2 to 3 years.
She said engineers are looking for potential well sites throughout the city.
“To ensure that we have the pristine water quality that our community deserves, and then we will move forward with the cited locations once we know that they are good water quality, and they can offset and replace the existing wells we have.”
EPA Region Administrator K.C. Becker said the city is not required to meet new EPA PFAS standards until 2029.
“They’ve been really proactive about addressing PFAS and really building out a system for the growth that is here and is going to continue to happen," said Becker.
The City of Kalispell previously provided the following information:
What are PFAS?
PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that have been in use since the 1940s. PFAS are (or have been) found in a wide variety of consumer products and as an ingredient in firefighting foam. PFAS manufacturing and processing facilities, airports, and military installations are some of the contributors of PFAS releases into the air, soil, and water. Because of their widespread use, most people have been exposed to PFAS and there is evidence that exposure to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects.
Health Effects of Exposure to PFAS?
Exposure to PFAS may result in a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including:
- developmental effects including to fetuses after exposure during pregnancy or postnatal development (e.g., low birth weight, accelerated puberty, skeletal variations, development of the immune system);
- cancer (e.g., testicular, kidney);
- liver effects (e.g., cellular lesions);
- immune effects (e.g., decreased antibody response to vaccination, decreased immune response immunity);
- thyroid effects and other effects (e.g., cholesterol changes).
For More Information
City of Kalispell Contacts:
- Contact Name: Joe Schrader, Utility Management Superintendent
- Contact Phone and email: 406-758-7989, jschrader@kalispell.com
For information on PFAS, including the new Rule, basic information, and health outcomes, you may visit these websites:
- PFAS Rule, Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes First-Ever National Drinking Water Standard to Protect 100M People from PFAS Pollution | US EPA
- Basic information, EPA actions to address PFAS, and links to informational resources: https://www.epa.gov/pfas
- Health information, exposure, and links to additional resources for PFAS in drinking water: www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking-water-health-advisories-pfoa-and-pfos
