The City of Stillwater is working to determine its next steps, following the discovery of elevated levels of PFAS in one of its wells and a health risk advisory from the Department of Health.

“We didn’t know it. We thought it was limited to the Woodbury-Cottage Grove area,” says city engineer Shawn Sanders. “We got the notice from the Department of Health, kind of caught us off guard.”

After decades of groundwater contamination by 3M, so-called ‘forever chemicals’ have been a common discovery in cities across Washington.

But it is a first for Stillwater.

PFAS have been called “forever chemicals” because of their inability to break down in the environment as well as the human body. Consuming them can result in higher cholesterol, changes to liver function, reduced immune system response, Thyroid disease as well as kidney and testicular cancer.

RELATED: Inside Your Health: PFAS

An October letter from the Minnesota Department of Health shows elevated PFAS levels were initially found in city well #6 in November of 2022.

MDH says tests found that PFOS, the main type of PFAS, was found at a level of between 11-15 parts per trillion.

The health department says EPA draft maximum contaminant levels are 4 parts per trillion, meaning the PFOS levels in the well are above the agency standard.  

Experts say one part per trillion is equal to one gallon of contaminant per trillion gallons of water.

MDH also uses a measuring stick called a Health Risk Assessment, or HRI.

An HRI of 1.0 or below represents a safe level of PFAS, where health effects are unlikely to occur.  

The agency says the November 2022 testing of the #6 well showed an HRI level of 1.3.

After a second test in March showed the same levels, city officials shut the well down.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we did turn it off, while we figure this out,” explains Stillwater Mayor Ted Kozlowski. “Once we figure out what kind of mitigation stuff to do- if any- how do we roll that out.”

In a statement, the health department says PFOS and other PFAS exposures “have been associated with various health effects, including decreased antibodies in infants and young children, lower birth weights, increased cholesterol in adults, and liver effects in adults. Additionally, long-term exposure to PFOA (another type of PFAS) has been associated with development of kidney cancer.”

After more tests in April and August of 2023 found continued elevated levels of PFAS in well #6- all above the HRI 1.0 level- the health department issued a high-risk advisory, recommending the city notify residents about the presence of PFAS, the health risks, and any action they can take to reduce exposure in their drinking water.  

We asked the mayor why the city waited a year after turning the well off, to explain to the public what’s going on.

“The Minnesota Department of Health, it’s my understanding that they have to do a series of tests before they can essentially hang their hat on one particular result,” he says. “And because the levels we’re looking at were so close to their standards, it didn’t rise to anyone’s alert status at that point.”

Right now, the city says well #6 remains shut down.

Seven other city wells have been tested and are still active.  

On Wednesday – city council members were briefed during a workshop by TKDA, an architecture, engineering, and planning firm- on how to go about informing the public and what to do next. CLICK HERE to see the information relayed during the meeting.

The communication plan states the city council intends to initiate a planning study to evaluate strategies to replace Well #6 or treat the water produced there. The plan also shows that the City of Stillwater will be seeking financial assistance for the planning study.

“There is the option for the residents if they want, to put in their own filtration inside their own homes,” Sanders says. “The city is going to look at a broad option, and look what we can do at the source, at the wellhouse.”

He says the city could also consider replacing well #6.

Sanders says since early October, the city has met with the health department to discuss how to move forward, and he hopes a plan can be rolled out by the end of the month.

“We wanted to meet with the Department of Health, and meet with consultants to get a process,” Sanders notes. “It’s something we’ve never done before, and we wanted it done right before we get the message out.”  

Related coverage on PFAS can be found here.