Broward to study how to further reduce ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water supply

Broward County has hired a consultant to see what changes they can make to the water-treatment process to cut down on the volume of toxic chemicals known as PFAS in the drinking water.

The “Water Treatment Impact Assessment” will cost taxpayers up to $249,284 and could take up to eight months to complete.

The issue of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” has risen to greater attention as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency works on standards for PFAS in drinking water. PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, are a group of compounds that don’t degrade in the environment and have been linked to illnesses.

Current levels in Broward County’s drinking water are fine for now, but may not be in the future if the standards are adjusted, officials say. The EPA has announced a proposal to regulate the presence of PFOS in water to four parts per trillion. Currently, the EPA endorses an unofficial ceiling of 70 parts per trillion. The agency’s ruling is expected by the end of the year or in January, and could lead to enforcement starting in 2027.

Broward has 31 cities and 25 water providers, so some cities get their water elsewhere. Of those 25 water providers, Broward County owns and operates two of them, which is what the consultant will hone in on.

In June, because of County Commissioner Mark Bogen’s request, the county tested its water at its own plants. “I want to know what I’m drinking,” said Bogen, who has pushed for the county to study the issue.

PFOS tests of a plant that services Lauderdale Lakes and small portions of Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park and North Lauderdale showed 18 parts per trillion, said Alan Garcia, the county’s director of Water and Wastewater Services.

Another water facility that serves portions of Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach and Coconut Creek showed 26 parts per trillion, Garcia said.

Both of those are within the current normal range, but high compared to what is expected to be soon recommended by the federal government, county officials said.

The firm will study what options are “available to mitigate observed levels” in the county’s water supply, and “chart the course for the county to further refine and implement improvements required to meet anticipated state and federal regulations concerning PFAS,” according to county records.

“That’s our first focus: Get it out of the water,” Garcia recently told county commissioners.

Garcia said later that there could be a second consultant hired later to create a design for any improvements the county needs to make to water treatment.

The EPA called the federal proposal a “transformational change” for improving the safety of drinking water in the United States. The agency estimates the new rules could reduce PFAS exposure for nearly 100 million Americans, decreasing rates of cancer, heart attacks and birth complications.

Bogen didn’t want to wait till the end of the year to see what action the EPA takes.

That’s why he recruited two of his employees to collect samples from men’s public bathrooms at six city halls — Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Margate, Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale. They let the sink water run for 60 seconds, then they filled up jars of water and overnighted it off to the lab to test PFAS — all the toxic chemicals.

All of those cities came back within the current acceptable ranges, but potentially would not be OK under any proposed federal changes, county officials said.

But “there is still toxic forever chemicals,” Bogen said Friday. “We need to be looking at all the toxic chemicals in our drinking water, and we need to be looking at how to get rid of it.”

The engineering firm Brown and Caldwell is performing the study. PFAS has 29 compounds, including PFOS. The consultant will study both of those, county officials said.

Regardless of whether the EPA lowers the threshold for what is considered acceptable or leaves things status quo, Bogen said he wants to see improvements made to the drinking supply. He said the consultant’s work will get them started to “upgrade the water plant to remove those chemicals.”

Information from The Associated Press was used to supplement this news article. 

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Twitter @LisaHuriash