Lawmakers ask state DEP, health officials to sample water supplies for toxins

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — West Virginia lawmakers adopted a resolution asking state environmental protection and health officials to propose and initiate a statewide plan to sample public water sources for chemicals that previously were found to have contaminated Martinsburg’s water supply.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 46 concerning perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances was adopted on March 7 on a voice vote in the House of Delegates.

The resolution, whose sponsors included Eastern Panhandle state Sens. Charles Trump and Patricia Rucker, was adopted Feb. 24 by the Senate.

In the request, lawmakers noted that the purpose of the study plan is to inform state regulatory agencies about “the distribution of PFAS contamination and potential PFAS contamination in public drinking water sources using data of known quality.”

PFAS are man-made synthetic chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s, including nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, cosmetics and firefighting foams.

The Martinsburg-area contamination was discovered at the city’s Big Springs Water Plant. The chemical was linked to the use of aqueous film forming (firefighting) foam by the 167th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard at Shepherd Field.

Due to the contamination, federal authorities began an exposure assessment last fall in Berkeley County.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) currently are analyzing environmental and biological samples obtained last year.

The government agencies are expected to write a final report summarizing findings and recommendations for the community and present the results at a yet-to-be-scheduled public meeting.

According to the resolution, objectives of the study plan are to include:

• Identifying drinking water supplies in West Virginia that have measurable amounts of PFOS, PFOA and related PFAS compounds in raw source water

• Making a determination as to whether there are geochemical, watershed, industrial use, land use or geohydrologic factors or processes that affect the presence of those compounds in public source water supplies.

The West Virginia Rivers Coalition commended lawmakers Monday for passage of the resolution, but also noted that they failed to pass a “comprehensive strategy” to reduce PFAS exposure in legislation proposing the creation of the Clean Drinking Water Act of 2020. Both House and Senate versions of the legislation died in committee.

“We know these toxic chemicals are already causing health problems in West Virginia. It’s good to see the Legislature recognize that we need to get a handle on the presence of PFAS statewide,” West Virginia Rivers Coalition Executive Director Angie Rosser said in the release. “State agencies must move swiftly to make sure more West Virginians are not at risk.”