Farmers Weekly Review

By Stephanie Irvine
and Nick Reiher

Officials in Channahon and Crest Hill say they are addressing concerns from state health officials about dangerous levels of contaminants in their groundwater.

 

The two Will County municipalities, in addition to the Criswell Court Mobile Home Park on Joliet’s East Side, were listed among 47 jurisdictions notified by state health officials of dangerous levels of contaminants in their groundwater.

 

The Village of Channahon’s report included elevated levels of Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at 4.6 ng/L, exceeding the 4.0 standard and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) at 5.9ng/L, exceeding the 4.0 ng/L standard. Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) was not reported.

 

The Village of Channahon addressed the elevated levels on April 25.

 

“On April 17, the Village received notice from the IEPA that the Illinois Pollution Control Board had adopted final regulations on maximum contaminant levels of regulated PFAS in water supplies, and the Village was made aware that it had exceeded those levels,” Director of Public Works Ed Dolezal said in a statement.

 

“Since that time, we have been working on our options to achieve compliance with the new IEPA standards,” his statement continued.

 

It indicated that, effective April 28, it will no longer use the contaminated wells, bringing the Village into compliance with the IEPA water standards for PFAs.

 

When questioned about whether the PFAs could have leached into the Village’s sewer pipes, Dolezal said there was no concern. He added that the wells taken out of commission will eventually be abandoned.

 

The Channahon School District addressed district parents on April 25 after it received notice of the contaminated water.

 

“We have already started taking steps to explore our options to filter all school water sources and we expect to begin to identify those solutions today,” the statement read. The district closed all water fountains, advised that it would not cook items requiring water, and urged parents to send students with bottled water from home if possible.”

 

Crest Hill’s report, which includes Stateville Correctional Facility, shows more than three times the allowable amount of PFOA at 13.7ng/L and PFHxS at 12.2 ng/L over the regulatory 10ng/L. PFOS was not reported.

 

Much of the problem stems from old pipes in the city’s system, which pumps water to Stateville as well, said Tony Graff, Crest Hill’s interim city administrator.

 

Graff said Stateville has its own water testing system, and the water system operator there sometimes ask the city to add more chlorine to address issues.

 

He said he doesn’t know what the future will entail for Stateville’s water system, since the governor ordered the correctional center shut down and demolished so it could be rebuilt.

 

As for the rest of the city, Graff said issues with the wells led to Crest Hill joining the Grand Prairie Water Commission, set up by the City of Joliet to provide Lake Michigan water to neighboring communities interested. Channahon also is a member of the commission, set to have lake water by 2030.

 

Since much of the contamination comes from the old water pipes, Graff said, the city will be replacing seven watermains this summer.

 

The existing wells are not a concern, he added, and will be kept as a backup when the city begins using Lake Michigan water.

 

 

Since the 1940s, PFAs, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals because they don’t easily break down, have been used in over 5,000 human-grade chemicals for their water-resistant properties. PFAs are commonly used in household items like non-stick pans, food packaging, paint, adhesives, etc.

 

When groundwater contains higher levels of hazardous PFAs, consumers face an increased risk for testicular, breast, and thyroid cancers; an increased high cholesterol, increased risk for thyroid disease, and for pregnant women, infants and children, low infant birth weights, preeclamplsia in pregnant women, and a reduced response to vaccines in children.

 

 

Despite the increased amount of PFAs, exposure does not necessarily mean a person will get sick or experience an adverse health effect an April 14 ILEPA release read.

 

That didn’t prevent some Channahon residents from taking to social media to express their shock and anger about the situation.

 

The Village’s Facebook statement faced intense criticism, especially as this news comes just days after the Village of Channahon announced a $72,000 rebranding.

 

“We went from where the waters meet to where the water’s contaminated,” Channahon resident Michelle Williams quipped.

 

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter. Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.