Georgia communities get funding for ‘forever chemicals’ cleanup tests
Several Georgia counties and cities grappling with so-called “forever chemicals” in their drinking water will receive millions in new federal funding to test solutions for removing the toxic pollutants.
The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority — the state clearinghouse for water, sewer and other infrastructure funding — announced Friday it is awarding five grants totaling $30.5 million to help communities begin to address the contaminants. The federal funds come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021 and signed by President Joe Biden.
Forever chemicals are also known as PFAS, the acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and have been used for decades to make consumer products like nonstick pans and flooring resistant to water, oil and heat.
But recent studies have linked exposure to even minuscule concentrations of PFAS to a host of serious health conditions, including fertility problems and increased risk of prostate, kidney and testicular cancer in adults, as well as developmental delays and depressed vaccine response in children.
While some PFAS tied to health problems have been phased out by industry, the chemicals do not breakdown naturally and are nearly impossible to remove once they escape into the environment.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled the first-ever legal limits on certain PFAS in drinking water. Public water systems in Georgia and across the country have roughly three years to test for the chemicals and must implement solutions to reduce concentrations in finished drinking water within five years. Once the rules take effect, water utilities will have to eliminate virtually all of certain kinds of PFAS from the drinking water they supply.
The funding announced by GEFA will allow cities and towns to test different PFAS removal solutions. The recipients of the grants are:
City of Calhoun ($7 million)
- The funding is for pilot testing and drinking water system upgrades for removing PFAS.
Chatsworth Water Works Commission ($3.5 million)
- The funding will support a pilot study investigating PFAS removal strategies and methods for destroying the compounds after they are pulled from water.
Clayton County Water Authority ($14 million)
- The grant will fund the engineering and design of upgrades to the county’s water plants to deal with PFAS pollution.
City of Summerville ($3.5 million)
- The funding is for a pilot testing of PFAS removal technologies and other water system upgrades.
City of Tennille ($2.5 million)
- The grant will assist with upgrades to the city’s drinking water wells, which are contaminated and currently out of service, GEFA said. It will also help fund the install of a filtration system.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has previously reported that several of the communities receiving funding — including Calhoun, Chatsworth, Clayton County and Summerville — are among the dozens in Georgia whose water supplies have PFAS levels that could exceed the new federal limits.
Depending on the size of the water system and the extent of the pollution, the filtration technologies needed to meet the standards could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
To fund upgrades, several municipalities have opted in to class action settlements with some of the largest PFAS makers, including 3M and DuPont, which have agreed to pay out billions to resolve claims from hundreds of affected water utilities. Some cities, like Rome, have pursued their own litigation against the chemical giants to cover the costs of new water plants. Others have faced lawsuits themselves filed by area residents and environmentalists.
About the Author
Drew Kann is a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering climate change and environmental issues. His passion is for stories that capture how humans are responding to a changing environment. He is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia and Northwestern University, and prior to joining the AJC, he held various roles at CNN.
