The town of Tumwater, on the outskirts of Olympia, has long been known for its crystal-clear drinking water. The now-defunct Olympia Brewing Company built its reputation on the area’s artesian springs, adopting the tag line “It’s the Water.” The Thurston Public Utility District, which supplies water to many of Tumwater’s residents, once won an award for the best-tasting drinking water in the state.
But that crystal-clear reputation has started to erode. Recently, tests have revealed that several wells in Tumwater are contaminated with PFAS.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of water-resistant human-made chemicals used in a wide variety of products from rain jackets to Teflon pans to firefighting foam. These so-called “forever chemicals” don’t break down easily in the environment and have been found to have negative health impacts that include higher cholesterol, decreased immune response, thyroid disease and increased risks of kidney and testicular cancer.
It’s a nationwide problem – a U.S. Geological Survey report in 2023 estimated that nearly half of the nation’s drinking water may contain PFAS. Even some Washington state water systems with a reputation for high-quality water aren’t immune.
“I’ve been spoiled,” said Paul Grant, a resident of the Lazy Acres neighborhood in Tumwater, which is served by Thurston P-D, noting his water has always “tasted great.” In 2021, tests revealed that two wells serving 94 households in the community were over the state’s acceptable levels for PFAS. “I’m definitely concerned,” Grant said, noting that he temporarily switched to bottled water and is talking to his landlord about installing a filtration system.
Barry Rogowski, toxics cleanup manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology, said the challenge of addressing PFAS contamination statewide is equal to the scale of widespread solvent contamination from dry-cleaning shops and industrial sites in the 1990s. “This is as significant as anything that we’ve seen in the last 30 years,” Rogowski said. “The problem with PFAS is they travel very rapidly, and in great distance in groundwater – much more so than some other compounds like gasoline or solvents.” PFAS chemicals were used extensively because they’re so slippery and water-repellent – properties that made them great for Gore-Tex jackets but unfortunately also make them widespread and difficult to clean up.
Thanks 3M.