As new Environmental Protection Agency standards limiting “forever chemicals” are implemented, water utilities across the Rockford region where they have been detected beyond the maximum threshold are already investing in new wells and treatment facilities.

With about 35% of public water utilities so far reporting test results, the EPA has identified hundreds of water systems across the United States that exceed newly established annual average limits for the group of nearly indestructible cancer-causing chemicals. Known as PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl, substances, they are pollutants that leach from many products and firefighting foam into water sources.

The EPA has estimated that one in 10 water systems may need to identify new sources of water or build new treatment facilities to eliminate the chemicals from water supplies.

New regulations require public water systems to monitor for PFAS and the EPA has given them three years to complete initial testing followed by ongoing compliance monitoring. Water systems must provide the public with information on the levels of PFAS in drinking water starting in 2027.

Water systems have five years, until 2029, to implement solutions that reduce PFAS if monitoring shows that annual average levels in drinking water exceed maximum contaminant levels. Systems that need improvements report they are using a mix of government grants and water rate increases to pay for them.

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Rockford detects below limit

Despite its industrial legacy, PFAS has not been detected beyond the maximum contaminant level in the city of Rockford’s water system which includes 25 wells and 12 water treatment plants.

Eleven of Rockford’s 12 treatment plants are designed to remove naturally occurring radium. One treatment plant utilizes granular activated carbon, a process that in Rockford is used to remove volatile organic compounds, but also removes PFAS.

Although forms of the chemical have been detected at three Rockford well sites, they were at levels below the maximum contaminant level considered a risk by the EPA, said Water Superintendent Jaime Rott.

The city has continued to monitor for PFAS quarterly since 2020 in case the situation changes, Rott said.

Some private wells in Rockford found to contain PFAS have switched to using city water, Rott said.

After evidence of PFAS contaminants were discovered in the drinking water at the Family Manufactured Home Community in south Rockford, it worked with the Illinois EPA and the city to connect to municipal water supplies.

“It could be the placement of our wells or the aquifers they are drawing from,” Rott said. “I can’t give a good reason why we are not impacted, except that we do have a lot of deeper wells so they are pulling water from the deeper formations.”

North Park builds new well, plants

A water system that delivers 3.6 million gallons of water a day to about 35,500 people in Machesney Park and Roscoe, North Park Water District is in phase one of a $58.7 million plan to eliminate PFAS from its water supply, CEO Kelly Saunders said.

The plan is to be about two years ahead of the schedule laid out by the EPA for compliance with the new regulations, Saunders said.

A backup well where PFAS was detected at levels beyond the maximum contaminant limit was disconnected in 2021 from the water system. Utilizing a $5.7 million state grant, a new well is being dug in the area of Indigo Lane and Copper Drive in Machesney Park to replace it and should be done by May of next year.

An estimated $38 million treatment plant is planned in a second phase to treat water at the new well site and treat water and remove PFAS from water generated from two additional wells where PFAS was detected at or below the maximum contaminant level. North Park will utilize a forgivable $6.3 million loan from the Illinois EPA to help pay for the plant.

Construction of the new plant is expected to begin in 2025 and be done in 2026.

And in a potential third and final phase, another estimated $15 million treatment plant would be constructed by 2028 to treat water from the system’s fourth well.

Freeport plans new well, plant

Freeport has already abandoned three of five wells where PFAS was detected. The city last year celebrated the opening of a $13 million well and state-of-the-art water treatment plant at 1521 Field Circle.

Freeport City Manager Rob Boyer said the new well taps into two limestone aquifers that are more than 1,200 feet underground where there is no PFAS contamination. The city capped three wells where PFAS was detected near the Pecatonica River. But Boyer said two other wells off of Brick Street where PFAS was detected remain online in case of an emergency.

“Those have perfluorinated compound in them,” Boyer said. “It’s a very minute amount. You know, we’re talking maybe 20 parts per trillion, but at the same time, we want to take those offline. The only reason we haven’t taken them offline is we need to maintain firefighting capacity. If we take those offline we would not be able to — given a large fire — we may not be able to keep up.”

Officials are in the planning stages for another $14 million well and treatment facility that would allow the city to decommission the remaining two wells where PFAS was detected. Construction is expected to proceed late next year, tapping forgivable loans from the Illinois EPA to pay for the project.

Loves Park water

According to a 2023 water quality report, Loves Park reported testing in 2022 found no evidence of PFAS in its treated water supply.

Belvidere needs new well

Two of Belvidere’s seven wells, which together produce 2.6 million gallons of water a day, were determined to be contaminated with PFAS, one beyond the maximum contaminate level, according to information from state Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Loves Park, and a Belvidere water quality report.

Stadelman in May announced nearly $1.5 million in state forgivable loans to help pay for a new estimated $6 million public water well and pump house in Belvidere to replace the two contaminated wells. It is expected the project will be paid for with state grants and forgivable loans.

“Having to drill a new well was an unplanned expense for Belvidere, and this state contribution should help offset any rate increase that might stem from the project,” Stadelman said in a news release.

Belvidere Public Works Director Brent Anderson said the two wells were disconnected from the system in 2021, soon after PFAS was first detected there. Once the new well is online in fall 2026, the plan is to abandon and cap the two wells where contamination was found.

Drilling has already begun for the new well which will be about 1,600 feet deep and should be free of PFAS contamination, but monitoring and regular testing will continue, Anderson said.

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at  (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Water systems have 5 years to eliminate PFAS ‘forever chemicals’