By Jan Axelson
Northside News
This is the last in a three-part series that focuses on PFAs, a class of human-made chemicals found in our water and in many everyday items. The series was funded by a grant from Public Health Madison Dane County.
The group of chemicals known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” have strong chemical bonds that resist breaking down. Studies show that PFAS can contribute to health issues such as cancers, high cholesterol, high blood pressure in pregnant women, low infant birth weight, decreased fertility for women, interference with hormones, and reduced response to vaccines.
Part 1 of this series explored the presence of PFAS in everyday items such as cookware and cosmetics. Part 2 covered PFAS in our lakes and streams and effects on the fishery. This final piece focuses on PFAS in drinking water and wastewater.
• Where our drinking water comes from
Madison’s drinking water is pumped from 22 wells located around the city. The water comes from a sandstone aquifer, a layer of rock that lies deep beneath the city and stores ground water in pores and cracks.
The Northside gets its water from two wells. Well 13 is at the corner of Wheeler Road and Delaware Boulevard and Well 7 is at the corner of North Sherman Avenue and Schlimgen Avenue. A water tower in Lake View Hill Park, the highest point on the Northside, stores water pumped from Well 13 to service the surrounding area.
The aquifer maintains its supply of water from rain and snow melt that filter down through layers of rock and soil. The filtering removes many contaminants. With depths of up to 1,179 feet, Madison’s wells provide clean water that requires little treatment. To ensure safe drinking water, the Madison Water Utility tests for a variety of pollutants, including PFAS. Added chlorine kills viruses and bacteria that may be present.
• PFAS in our drinking water
In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established legally enforceable maximum levels for six PFAS chemicals in drinking water. The maximum levels for two of the most tested PFAS chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, are 4 parts per trillion (ppt), with a non-enforceable goal of zero ppt.
These maximums are much stricter than the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s 70 ppt maximum levels for these chemicals.
Madison’s wells are tested twice annually for up to 30 PFAS chemicals. None of the active wells exceed the EPA’s or DNR’s drinking water standards established for any PFAS.
In 2019, Well 15, located on East Washington Avenue at Lien Road, was taken offline in response to community concerns about PFAS contamination. Tests in 2019 showed levels of around 6 ppt of PFOA and PFOS. While the source could be PFAS at the Truax Air Field, the source hasn’t been determined.
A $5.9 million project is installing equipment to remove PFAS and two volatile organic compounds at Well 15. The expected completion is summer 2025.
• Home filtering, bottled water, and straws
Household filters are available to remove PFAS from drinking water but may be of limited benefit in Madison. Current standards for household filters only certify if a filter removes PFAS to levels below the EPA’s maximums. Because the PFAS in Madison’s water are below these maximums, a household filter likely would be of little or no added benefit.
Depending on the brand, bottled water can have any of a number of sources. including wells, springs and even municipal tap water. In 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested bottled water from retailers across the U.S. Ten of 197 samples tested had detectable levels of PFAS, but none exceeded the EPA’s maximums for public drinking water.
While low levels of PFAS in bottled water is good news, tap water remains better for your health and the environment. Tests have found pollutants such as industrial chemicals and bacteria in bottled water. Even if recycled, plastic water bottles typically have only one more use, such as in fabrics that can’t be recycled again.
Paper straws are sometimes recommended to reduce plastic pollution. But paper and other plant-based straws often contain PFAS, likely added to make the straws hold up better in liquids. To avoid PFAS and plastics, use a stainless-steel straw or don’t use a straw at all.
• Keeping PFAS out of the environment
The Madison Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD) operates the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant on Moorland Road, just south of Lake Monona. The plant receives wastewater and solids from Madison and other communities.
Waste from Waunakee, Windsor, and even as far north as DeForest is piped under the upper Yahara River to a pumping station in Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park’s South Unit. The pumping station elevates the waste to help it move down toward the Nine Springs plant.
The Nine Springs plant uses physical and biological processes to remove contaminants. Most of the treated water is piped several miles south and released into a branch of Badfish Creek east of the Village of Oregon. Testing in 2023 showed that the treated wastewater had levels of PFOS and PFOA well below the DNR’s limits for surface water.
The Nine Springs plant also processes solid waste to create an organic fertilizer called Metrogro. The product is an alternative to chemical-based fertilizers and reduces the need to dispose of waste in landfills or by incinerating.
Tests show that the fertilizer contains PFAS, but the levels are low enough that DNR regulations allow application on land. Still, the fertilizer adds PFAS to farmland and gardens, leaving the question of whether the benefits outweigh the risk.
• Restrict, clean up and research
The evidence is clear that PFAS are harmful to human health and the environment. Reducing the risk requires a commitment on multiple fronts. The EPA’s stated approach to addressing PFAS is guided by these goals and objectives:
● Restrict PFAS, including stopping the manufacture of products that contain PFAS and disposing properly of PFAS in existing products.
● Clean up PFAS to remove PFAS that are polluting our land and water. In Madison, this includes the PFAS pollution at the airport that is entering the downstream lakes.
● Research to learn more about PFAS, the risks to human health and the environment, and ways to reduce risk. One area of research is seeking methods to convert PFAS into less harmful substances.
Visit Madison Water Utility, cityofmad
ison.com/water or Madison Metropolitan Sewage District, madsewer.org.
Parts 1 and 2 of this series are available at northsidenews.org/online-edition. Benefit your health by avoiding “forever chemicals” in everyday items (Feb/March edition, page 16) and Forever chemicals in our lakes, rivers and streams (April/May edition, page 16).
