A U.S. Geological Survey report examined untreated well water in Delaware, where per-and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) contamination were discovered statewide.
According to the report, which was released in December 2021, a variety of PFAS were found in water from 16 of the 30 wells sampled in Delaware, reported Delmarva Now. All of the wells sampled receive groundwater from the Columbia aquifer, which supplies water for more than 90% of Delaware.
Those samples containing PFAS did have low concentrations.
“Even though use of some PFAS have been banned, we found that the chemicals are still present in the environment,” said Betzaida Reyes, USGS scientist and the author of the new study, reported Delmarva Now. “The Columbia aquifer is an important drinking water source for hundreds of thousands of people, and our research will help decision-makers and communities understand how PFAS are impacting the quality of some area groundwater.”
The areas with the highest number of types of PFAS detected were in New Castle and Sussex counties. One well in each county had concentrations of two types of PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
USGS has sampled these specific wells three times since 2000, and this time around it is the first time they were tested for PFAS.
"Both the DNREC and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services continue their ongoing work to address PFAS in the state’s drinking water," said the USGS in a statement, reported Delmarva Now.
The USGS conducted this study in cooperation with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Geological Survey.
