The Lakeside County Water and Sewer District is beginning testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in its water systems. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they take so long to break down. The man-made compounds are linked to a variety of health risks.
District officials said the testing follows new drinking water monitoring requirements from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), which reflect updated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The EPA measures PFAS in parts per trillion (ppt), and different compounds have different Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Columbia Falls recently removed one of its city wells from service after some compounds exceeded MCLs.
The new standards require public water systems to sample and comply with the new standards by 2029.
The Lakeside district operates three separate water systems with a total of 11 wells: four wells in Mission View, five in Lakeside and two in South 80. The wells will be sampled at different times, so results will arrive on a rolling basis. Testing will happen in two rounds. The first round is underway, and the second is scheduled to begin in spring 2027. It is the first time the Lakeside district has tested for the forever chemicals.
“One important thing we want our customers to understand in advance is just how sensitive PFAS testing is,” officials said in an announcement. “A PFAS detection does not automatically mean the water exceeds a drinking water standard or that there is a drinking water violation. The amount detected and the specific PFAS compound are important when determining what a result means.”
DEQ is funding the first two rounds of testing, and officials said the cost of the initial testing will not be passed onto ratepayers. Officials said customers in the three separate water systems will be notified individually if necessary, and the district will make final results available to the public once all the required testing has been completed.
I’m Zoë Buhrmaster. Let’s scoot into the rest of the roundup.
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