PFAS Update
Good News! The City of DuPont is proud to share that lab tests from the new water treatment facilities show no detection of PFAS in the City's drinking water.
The City of DuPont is proud to announce the completion of two new treatment facilities designed to eliminate polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from its water system, ensuring safe, clean drinking water for its residents.
In response to Federal Health Advisory standards, state action, and the City of DuPont’s commitment to the community’s health, the City of DuPont took decisive steps to address the presence of PFAS in its water supply.
With the support of federal and state representatives, DuPont successfully secured $7.3 million in grants for the construction of two new treatment facilities. State Representative Leavitt worked with Senator Nobles and Representative Bronoske to secure $5,950,000 in state funding. Representative Leavitt helped secure a second grant of $855,000. U.S. Senator Patty Murry played a pivotal role in securing a $500,000 federal grant. In addition, the City Attorney was instrumental in securing further funding through class action litigation, with additional legal proceedings pending.
In 2023, city staff and contractors began construction of a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration plant at the Hoffman Hill Water Facility. In 2024, work commenced on a secondary GAC system at the Bell Hill Water Facility. Both projects are now complete, with each plant featuring 6 vessels containing 40,000 pounds of GAC. This innovative filtration technology allows the City of DuPont to treat up to 2,000 gallons of water per minute at each facility, effectively removing PFAS from the water supply before it enters the distribution system.
For additional information, click Here for a comprehensive source of information from the EPA which has various tools on PFAS and click Here for an interactive state (WA) map listing facilities/entities that have reported PFAS monitoring to the Department of Health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are PFAS?
Polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a diverse group of compounds resistant to heat, water, and oil. For decades, they have been used in hundreds of industrial applications and consumer products such as carpeting, clothing, upholstery, food paper wrappings, fire-fighting foams and metal plating.
What might be the source of the PFAS (PFOS and PFOA) in DuPont’s drinking water?
The primary source of PFAS in our ground water is widely accepted to be from Firefighting foam from JBLM, detected in their own wells as well as the City’s.
Learn more about PFAS from the DOH.
What if I have health concerns?
If you are concerned about potential health effects from exposure to PFAS, contact your doctor or health care professional.
See the informational video from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that discusses safety concerns for human exposure to PFAS/PFOS at the bottom of this page.
Where does my drinking water come from?
Your drinking water comes from deep groundwater through 5 deep water wells that pipe water to two large storage reservoir and is then distributed to your home.