The State of Washington allocated $5.95 million in funding in the 2021- 2023 biennium budget to the City of DuPont for the construction of two water quality treatment plants. These treatment systems will safely filter out PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) ensuring a safe and reliable water supply.
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.
Since 2019, the City has tested the water on a quarterly basis. The results of these tests can be found on the City PFAS page. The water is safe to drink and meets all federal and state standards. There are detections of PFAS, however, they are below the Environmental Protect Agency’s (EPA) and the State of Washington’s health advisory limit.
In 2020, the City filed a claim against the United States Government requesting financial compensation for future costs relating to ongoing water protection efforts in response to PFAS in the City’s water wells. In order to be proactive and move forward, a Pilot Study was completed from June 2020 – January 2021 collecting pre-design data for the construction of the facilities.
Construction for the two water treatment plants, which will remove PFAS from the drinking water, will begin in November/December 2021 and be completed in June/July 2022.
“The City of DuPont is grateful to the State Legislature and Governor Inslee for providing this funding for PFAS, as well our representatives of the 28th Legislative District: Senator Nobles, Representative Leavitt, and Representative Bronoske for their championing of this project” said Mayor Ron Frederick.
The City’s top priority is to provide safe drinking water to our community and will continue to do so.
For more information on PFAS visit: https://www.dupontwa.gov/502/PFAS.
