Drinking water from Groveland wells appears unlikely to meet tightened and expanded state and federal regulations on so-called “forever chemicals” known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl—or PFAS—chemicals.
Superintendent Colin Stokes, Groveland Water and Sewer Department and the Groveland Board of Water Commissioner say in a statement Groveland currently complies with six PFAS contaminant regulations with levels of 4.1075 parts per trillion at Well 1 and 4.392 parts per trillion at Well 3. However, proposed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulation would add four additional PFAS compounds and drop the allowed maximum level to 4 parts per trillion.
Once the new regulations are accepted by the state, officials say, Groveland is expected to take “immediate action.” The Groveland Board of Water Commissioners says it is looking at a variety of options to meet new regulations with “the least impact on residents and ratepayers.” Options include building a water treatment/filtration plant in Groveland, finding sufficient new water sources that comply with the upcoming PFAS regulations or purchasing water from a neighboring community
The new regulations are expected to be adopted by the end of 2024 or early 2025 and the deadline for compliance is not yet known.