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By Stephanie Zeppelli | The Tribune (TNS)
ATASCADERO, CALIF. — Drinking water supplied by the Atascadero Mutual Water Co. contains "forever chemicals" known as PFAS.
Luckily, the water is still safe to drink — and the water company hatched a plan to remove the contaminants from the water for good.
If consumed in large quantities, PFAS can cause cancer, liver damage and pregnancy complications, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease.
But the Atascadero Mutual Water Co. blends water from contaminated wells with clean water to ensure that PFAS levels are low enough to be safe for consumption, according to general manager John Neil.
"If we're meeting drinking water standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act, I would say, yes, the water is safe to consume," Neil said. "I drink the water. The levels are very low."
Eventually, the company plans to build a water treatment facility to remove PFAS from the water entirely, Neil said, noting that blending the water is a "temporary solution to the problem."
The Atascadero Mutual Water Co. is the largest water system in the county, serving 34 square miles and 11,200 service connections, Neil said.
During the summer, the water company delivers about 8 million gallons of water per day, he said.
Water supplied by the Atascadero Mutual Water Co. contains three types of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, according to the 2023 water quality report.
The water company discovered the PFAS in 2013, when the Environmental Protection Agency mandated that large water systems test for 25 different contaminants. Back then, the concentration of PFAS in the water was lower than response levels set by the EPA — so it did not notify residents of the contaminants.
"It's just like anything else in drinking water — there's all kinds of stuff in there. It's just, is it harmful or not?" Neil said.
The Atascadero Mutual Water Co. draws water from 15 wells along the Salinas River, 13 of which contain detectable levels of PFAS, he said.
Normally, PFAS contamination is caused by firefighting foam used at airports, an issue faced by the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport. But Atascadero doesn't have an airport or any other large industrial operation near city limits.
The water company took samples above and below the wastewater plant, around Atascadero State Hospital and near the Chicago Grade Landfill, but found no active source of the PFAS pollution.
Neil thought the PFAS in Atascadero groundwater came from consumer products like popcorn bags, stain treatments like Scotchgard and carpet cleaners that slipped into the Salinas River and leached into the water basin.
"We're a residential service area, we don't have much industry," Neil said. "There may be some small machine shop that used it and it got into the waste stream."
PFAS don't biodegrade, so they tend to accumulate in the environment unless intentionally removed, he said.
In February 2020, the EPA set more stringent notification and response levels for PFAS. The amount of PFAS in Atascadero's water hadn't changed much, but according to the new limits, three wells were then considered too contaminated for drinking water use.
The water company briefly stopped using those three wells, Neil said.
Those wells represent about 20% of the water supply, and they are important for keeping taps running in Atascadero on high-water-demand days, he said. So, the company started blending water from wells with higher concentrations of PFAS with water from wells with lower concentrations to ensure that all drinking water met standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The State Water Resources Control Board approved a permit amendment for the blended water plan. The permit requires the water company to test for PFAS weekly, monthly and quarterly to confirm that it's safe to drink, he said.
Tap water in Atascadero is safe to drink, Neil reiterated. In fact, people are more likely to encounter higher levels of PFAS elsewhere, he said.
"From my perspective, people really don't drink enough water for it to be an issue," he said. "I think your primary path of exposure would be your hamburger that's wrapped in a paper wrapper that had PFAS in it, or overheating your Teflon pan."
The company plans to build a water treatment facility to remove PFAS from the water, Neil said.
If built, the water treatment plant would be located at 6575 Sycamore Ave. near the company's existing maintenance facility.
It will apply to the city of Atascadero for a building permit for the facility early next year, Neil said. At the earliest, construction would begin during the next year and a half.
The facility will use a granular activated carbon system to remove PFAS from the groundwater — similar to how a Brita filter removes contaminants like lead, chlorine and mercury from tap water.
The plant will cost between $35 million and $40 million to build, Neil said.
The water company raised its rates by about 25% in July 2023 to prepare to build the facility, which bumped the average monthly water bill from $59 to $73.50, according to Neil. Other rate adjustments are likely to be implemented in the future, he said.
While expensive, Neil said the facility will be a good investment for the community.
The water treatment facility could allow the company to protect its customers from other contaminants — even ones that aren't yet regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, he said.
Granular activated carbon systems can filter contaminants like lithium, which is a metal used in batteries for cars and electronics that Neil expects could find its way into the water supply.
"Eventually, something else is going to come up," Neil said. "This gives us a better chance of being able to deal with it without building more facilities."
Additionally, the EPA announced plans to more strictly regulate PFAS in the water by lowering the maximum contaminant level from 40 parts per trillion to 4 parts per trillion, Neil said.
The highest maximum PFAS concentration level detected in any of the Atascadero Water Company's wells was 38 parts per trillion, so the water company will need to scale up its ability to remove contaminants from the water to comply with the new rules, he said.
The water company must comply with the new limit within five years.
"That's why we're pursuing this," he said. "We know we can't blend our way out of this one."
This story was originally published December 29, 2024, 5:00 AM.
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