Forever chemicals found in private wells near Dover. Here's what to know

Correction: Attorney General Jennings filed suit against PFAS manufacturers including 3M in October. An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed DuPont as a defendant. DuPont, Chemours and Corteva reached a settlement with Delaware over PFAS contamination in 2021.

As the weather begins to warm, Delaware’s gardeners are beginning to prepare for the planting season ahead. But for residents in Kent County's Little Creek, a looming question could jeopardize this year’s harvest: What are residents going to do about the water?

Glenn Gauvry served as mayor of the small town of Little Creek for 10 years. An avid environmentalist and the president of Ecological Research & Development Group, the town’s air and water quality were always of major concern to him.

So, when he was discovered that his private well contained forever chemical contamination nearly 10 times above the recommended limit, concerns about the community he spent over a decade serving came flooding in.

What followed were months of planning and testing the local community, with results presented Thursday, March 7, finding elevated levels of forever chemicals in many of the private wells.

Over 30 residents allowed the department to test their wells, and results showed that forever chemicals were found in a majority of the wells, posing an issue for private well owners in the area. But not all well owners were impacted equally and a feasibility study is underway to evaluate long-term solutions.

Here’s what to know.

PFAS issues in Delaware remain ongoing

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are otherwise known as “forever chemicals” due to how long they take to break down in the natural environment. Historically, they have been used in a slew of everyday items like food packaging, nonstick cookware, clothing and more dating back to around the 1940s.

People can be exposed to PFAS by drinking contaminated water or consuming contaminated food that was packaged using the chemical or even just breathing in dust. Since the chemicals take so long to break down in the environment, they linger in water systems and subsequently can build up in people, animals, crops and other living organisms.

Regulating PFAS contamination is historically tricky because they aren’t officially federally regulated, despite recommendations made by the federal EPA. Generally, in Delaware, any levels of PFAS above 4 parts per trillion is considered an actionable level.

Delaware has been investigating PFAS contamination incidents around the state. The most notable case has been near the New Castle County Airport, where residents were found to have elevated levels of PFAS in their water supply.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings filed suit against major PFAS manufacturers including 3M in October seeking financial compensation for remediation efforts. The city of Newark also joined a class action suit seeking money for PFAS cleanup.

Well contamination in Little Creek

Gauvry worried about the health of his water supply and decided to pay out of pocket to test his well water last fall.

“The issue is something that had been on my mind,” Gauvry said. “We shelled out the money and we had the test run. When I got the results back, they were pretty startling.”

Contamination suits: 3M, DuPont, Chemours reach settlements of lawsuits involving harmful 'forever chemicals'

The magic number for levels of PFAS is generally considered to be 4 ppt. When Gauvry found that his water supply was 31 ppt, he sent his results to DNREC’s Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances and the Division of Public Health, which took action to prioritize the small community with the state’s water remediation resources.

DNREC began testing the town’s wells in January and most of the results returned in early March, with some still pending.

A meeting was held by representatives from Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Department of Health and Social Services and Division of Public Health for Little Creek residents to present preliminary results of the water sampling.

Results from the groundwater sampling returned for the majority of the locations along Little Creek’s Main Street. According to the preliminary results, a majority of the wells tested by DNREC reported back levels of PFAS higher than the 4-ppt limit.

Not all private wells are impacted the same, though. The results showed that wells that receive water from unconfined aquifers are more at risk of PFAS contamination than wells that pull from confined aquifers.

An unconfined aquifer contains water that is stored closer to the surface of the ground, which can more easily be refilled by rain, snow melt or runoff. A confined aquifer is deeper underground and has a layer of clay or silt that makes it more difficult to penetrate.

That’s not to say that confined aquifers are completely safe and PFAS-free, it just may take longer for higher detection to show up in tests.

According to Katharine Caudle, the Ombudsman with DNREC's Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances, around two-thirds of the wells that were tested received water from unconfined aquifers and most registered wells in Little Creek do not exceed 100 feet underground, making them potentially more susceptible to contamination, if the pattern remains consistent.

“Our unconfined aquifers we’re finding impacts everywhere,” said Todd Keyser, hydrologist with DNREC's Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances, during the meeting. “We’re finding impacts in enough of the area that we want to continue to get samples, but not all the wells are impacted to the same degree. We have a couple of high points in a localized area.”

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What are the solutions for well water?

A feasibility study is underway to determine what steps can be taken by government agencies to mitigate Little Creek's PFAS contamination in the long run. Some options being evaluated are drilling citizens’ wells to deeper levels or installing whole-house infiltration systems.

Short-term solutions are available for citizens who have detected high levels of PFAS in their water systems. DNREC provides carbon filtration systems that can be placed on singular faucets within the home. The filters have been found to be effective at making water safe, but it can be costly to filter every faucet in a household.

If a resident opts into getting a filter from DHSS, DPH or DNREC, they can request a professional to come in and install the filter properly. A representative from one of the agencies can come and retest the treated water to ensure the filters are working properly.

Residents in the area are being asked to opt in to allowing the agencies to test their water supply and provide filtration solutions if necessary. The testing and filters are given out at no cost to the residents, but more filters may need to be paid for out of pocket. The cost for these filters typically range from $125 to $225.

Residents who live near a known site of PFAS contamination are urged to contact their water utility and DNREC to learn about available resources.

"What we are hoping is that this problem starts to shake some trees and some funding comes to mitigate the problem," Gauvry said. "People here don't have the money to drill 100-foot wells, they might not even have the money to put in a whole house filter. Unless that gets subsidized, people are probably going to continue to drink the water."

Little Creek residents who want to have their well water tested can sign up for testing online.

Health impacts of PFAS contamination

Experts warn that PFAS contamination can cause adverse health effects. It has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a “possible carcinogen.''

Elevated levels can lead to increased cholesterol levels and liver problems.

Pregnant people exposed to elevated PFAS levels are considered to be at a higher risk of increased blood pressure or pre-eclampsia and may result in lower birth weights in newborns.

Nearly everyone in the United States has been exposed to PFAS at some level. A recent report from USA TODAY estimated that nearly 70 million Americans get their water from a system where PFAS has been found by the EPA, including eight systems in Delaware.

The EPA is expected to finalize regulations this year that would set enforceable standards on PFAS levels in water systems.

For the avid gardeners, studies have shown that PFAS in soil and water can make its way into growing plants’ roots, but it generally does not pose as high of a threat to humans as drinking water does. It’s recommended to wash fruits or vegetables, use more natural matter in soil and use raised garden beds to avoid further potential contamination.

A Well Owners Guide was distributed to attendees of the meeting. It’s recommended that citizens using well water who may be concerned about the levels of PFAS in their water use a certified environmental consulting firm or laboratory to sample and treat the well water.

“I think it’s important that this town be proactive and get their wells tested,” Gauvry said. “I believe [DNREC] is doing their best, even though everybody wants it fixed right away, I think that being positive is the way we get there faster.”

Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact her at mmcvety@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: High levels of forever chemicals found in private wells near Dover