WHAT ARE PFAS?

According to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940s. PFAS are utilized for a variety of applications ranging from water and stain-proofing to firefighting. PFAS persists in the environment and may contaminate surface and ground waters. These chemicals are widely used because they are resistant to heat, water, and oil.

WHERE CAN PFAS BE FOUND?

PFAS can be commonly found in every American household, and in products as diverse as:

Certain PFAS chemicals are no longer manufactured in the United States as a result of phase-outs including the PFOA Stewardship Program in which eight major chemical manufacturers agreed to eliminate the use of PFOA and PFOA-related chemicals in their products and as emissions from their facilities. Although PFOA and PFOS are no longer manufactured in the United States, they are still produced internationally and can be imported into the United States in consumer goods such as carpet, leather, and apparel, textiles, paper and packaging, coatings, rubber, and plastics.

WHO SETS GUIDELINES FOR PFAS?

There is not enough information available for scientists to develop health-based screening levels for all of the PFAS sampled. Neither the Illinois EPA nor the U.S. EPA has yet developed enforceable drinking water standards for PFAS. Both regulatory agencies are currently studying PFAS. This will take several years to complete. In the interim, Illinois EPA has developed health-based guidance levels for seven PFAS compounds. Laboratory data from the studies being conducted will be used to support the potential development and promulgation of maximum contaminant level (MCL) standards in Illinois and nationally.

HAVE PFAS BEEN DETECTED IN ANY CITY WELLS?

Yes. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) recently tested our water system for 18 compounds known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) as part of a statewide investigation of community water supplies and PFAS.

The City owns and operates 11 wells located throughout the City. Each well is treated by one of the five City water treatment plants. None of the analytes sampled by Illinois EPA were above Illinois EPA health-based guidance levels. The City has reduced the use of wells with PFAS detected at our Water Treatment Plant 4 and is working on solutions to mitigate PFAS in these wells. 

IS MY WATER SAFE TO DRINK?

Yes. The City of Crystal Lake’s drinking water continues to meet all Federal and State drinking water standards and is safe to drink. The U.S. and Illinois EPA are developing standards for safe PFAS levels in drinking water. In the interim, the Illinois EPA has asked local agencies to provide information if  PFAS is detected in drinking water. 

Additional water quality information is available on the City of Crystal Lake Consumer Confidence Report found on this website.

WHAT ARE THE MONITORING GUIDELINES FOR PFAS?

The Illinois EPA PFAS health-based guidance levels are provided in the table below. At this time, no enforceable federal or state drinking water standard, called a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), exists for any of the more than 5,000 known PFAS chemicals. Illinois EPA is in the process of collecting data in the PFAS Investigation Network to develop a state MCL. The development of an MCL may take the IEPA multiple years.  The levels are presented in nanograms per liter (ng/L), equal to parts per trillion (ppt). For reference: 1 ng/L is equivalent to about 1 ounce in 7.5 billion gallons.

 

Additional information on the IEPA’s PFAS Statewide Investigation is located here: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/water-quality/pfas/Pages/pfas-statewide-investigation-network.aspx

WHAT IS THE CITY DOING ABOUT PFAS IN ITS WELLS?

Neither the Illinois EPA nor the U.S. EPA has developed enforceable regulatory drinking water standards for PFAS. The IEPA has requested the City continue to monitor drinking water following the IEPA PFAS investigation plan. The City’s drinking water continues to meet all Federal and State drinking water standards and is safe to drink.

The City is taking a pro-active approach working with the IEPA and consulting engineering firms to develop options to mitigate PFAS in its drinking water. The City has and will continue to reduce flows from the wells with PFAS detects, based on water system demands.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?

Additional information regarding PFAS, the statewide PFAS investigation network, and the impact on public health can be found on the Illinois EPA PFAS webpage: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/water-quality/pfas/Pages/default.aspx

All confirmed drinking water sampling results for Crystal Lake are available on Illinois EPA’s Drinking Water Watch system at http://163.191.83.31/dww/JSP/NonTcrSamples.jsp?tinwsys_is_number=717191&tinwsys_st_code=IL&history=0&begin_date=&end_date=&counter=0

If you have questions about PFAS and drinking water, please contact:

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Barb Lieberoff, Office of Community Relations
epa.pfas@illinois.gov
217-524-3038

Illinois Department of Public Health
Brian Koch, Division of Environmental Health 
Brian.Koch@illinois.gov
217-782-5830