State advises private well owners to test for ‘forever chemicals’ if near impacted water systems

Illinois — The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued an advisory to private water well owners to check if they are in the vicinity of community water systems that have shown elevated levels of any Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS and to seek private testing of their water.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency sent out notices to 47 community water systems and 10 systems with emergency connections that their systems “indicated levels of PFAS in excess of state groundwater quality standards.”

Among the communities recently notified of elevated levels of PFAS were Crest Hill and Channahon in Will County, and Minooka in Will and Grundy counties.

Two of Crest Hill’s eight wells were found to contain elevated levels of two of the six PFAS the state of Illinois set quality standards for in 2021.

According to the IDPH, the presence of PFAS, sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals,” in the source water for those community water systems, means there could also be elevated levels in the groundwater that supplies neighboring private wells.

The department recommends that well owners near impacted communities have their water tested by a private laboratory and consider taking other mitigating actions, such as installing a carbon filter or reverse osmosis filter on their home water input or faucets.

“The overwhelming majority of Illinois’s water systems do not show signs of elevated PFAS levels,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, in the statement. “However, it is important for Illinois residents to know where and when elevated levels are present and to take appropriate steps to respond.”

Vohra added that IDPH’s Division of Environmental Health can “assist private well owners by providing information they need to have their water tested and to address any concerns.”

PFAS are stable, persistent chemicals that can accumulate in the human body over time, according to IDPH. Excess levels of PFAS have been linked to a number of potential health issues, including higher risks of cancer, thyroid disease, decreased birth weight, increased total cholesterol in adults, and decreased vaccine responses in children.

There are multiple laboratories in northern Illinois that can test private water wells for PFAS, including the Will County Health Department’s Environmental Health Lab in Joliet, Pace Analytical Services in McHenry, Suburban Laboratories in Geneva, Four Rivers Sanitation Authority in Rockford, and First Environmental Laboratories in Naperville.

A full list of certified laboratories is available through the IEPA website. These institutions are qualified to analyze drinking water, interpret test results, and provide health effects information and recommendations for remediation, according to IDPH.