Marathon gets safe PFAS test

Drinking water contamination sits below EPA level for action

The Village of Marathon City announced last week that its drinking water is safe from PFAS contamination.

The Marathon City Water utility participated in the Wisconsin DNR voluntary PFAS testing program and sampled the village’s drinking water in late April. Test results were returned to the village on May 23 and indicated no PFAS risks in the drinking water. Based on the test results, no further action is required by the DNR or Department of Health Services relate to PFAS.

“Other communities in our region have discovered elevated levels of PFAS in their drinking water. We felt our water supply was at low risk for PFAS, but we felt it was important to participate in the voluntary testing program offered by DNR,” said Andy Kurtz, village administrator. “The results of the PFAS tests validated our risk assessment and that is great news for our community.” The voluntary PFAS testing program looks for 18 compounds and the level of detection of the compounds is less than 1 part per trillion. Seventeen of the compounds were not detected in Marathon City’s drinking water samples. One compound registered 0.4 parts per trillion above the level of detection, which is 98 percent below the EPA Advisory Level of 70 parts per trillion. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services Hazard Index score for Marathon City’s drinking water is 0.03 and is an order of magnitude below the Hazard Index action limit of 1 set by the DNR.

“The results of the PFAS testing are very positive and are significantly below the DHS, DNR and EPA health advisory levels” said village president David Belanger. “As a customer of the Marathon City Water Utility, there is no action you need to take. You can simply continue to enjoy the clean water supplied by the Marathon City Water Utility.”

What is PFAS?

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic, organic compounds that have been manufactured for use in non-stick coatings, waterproof fabrics, firefighting foams, food packaging, and many other applications since the 1940s. PFAS are highly resistant to degradation and have been detected globally in water, sediment and wildlife. This global distribution is of concern as PFAS have been demonstrated to have toxic effects on animals and because epidemiological studies have suggested probable links to several human health effects.

PFAS have been found in some drinking water supplies where PFAS releases have occurred in the environment. PFAS can be found in fire-fighting foams, stain repellants, nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food wrappers and are used in many industrial processes. They do not break down in the environment and move easily into water. Exposure to high levels of PFAS for long periods of time have been associated with various health effects including increased cholesterol, decreased vaccine response, low birth weight, increased risk of thyroid disease, decreased fertility in woman and high blood pressure.

More information regarding PFAS and the complete PFAS test results are available on the Village website at https://www.marathoncitywi.gov/ departments/water-and-sewer/pfastesting- results/ .