Villages of Lake in the Hills and Cary seek to obtain compensation for contaminated municipal water systems
LAKE IN THE HILLS – The Village of Lake in the Hills (LITH) and the Village of Cary released a joint statement indicating that they will seek to obtain compensation for the adverse impacts created by the detection of PFAS in select components of their municipal water systems.
According to the joint statement, low levels of PFAS chemicals were detected at some of the water production sites in both LITH and Cary in early 2021.
According to the IEPA (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency), per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and thousands of other chemicals.
PFAS are used by industries across the globe and are used in many consumer, commercial, and industrial processes to make everyday items non-stick, water-resistant, or stain resistant. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects on humans and animals.
Additionally, PFAS are currently unregulated in public water systems at the federal and state levels, although both the IEPA and the U.S. EPA have begun the process to establish drinking water standards for this group of contaminants.
Statewide testing of all 1,749 community water supplies was initiated by the IEPA in 2021 to aid in the possible development of a future regulatory drinking water standard for PFAS.
“The Village of Lake in the Hills and the Village of Cary will execute legal services agreements to obtain representation in an investigation and possible civil action related to the PFAS contamination. The firms will represent both Villages as part of a class-action lawsuit involving other impacted government agencies and private contractors,” both villages said in their joint statement.
Officials for both villages further explained that the contracted law firms will assist in the investigation of the presence of contaminants throughout the system and its potential sources, evaluate the potential to recover the costs associated with the contamination, provide advice, and represent both LITH and Cary in any legal action against parties potentially responsible for the contamination.
“Any funds obtained are intended to be used for remediation, modifying the treatment processes, and managing increased treatment costs that might be necessary to provide the public safe drinking water,” said officials for both villages.
They continued, “While the amount of PFAS did not reach levels that would mandate closure in either Village, elected officials and staff proactively took the affected water system components offline out of an abundance of caution to protect the public. The components remain offline pending the development of formal drinking water standards for PFAS that will be issued by the IEPA and U.S. EPA once their studies conclude. The establishment of these drinking water standards would determine whether modifications to the water treatment processes are necessary.”
The LITH Public Works Department took Well 6 out of service after testing showed the presence of two unregulated chemicals, perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), according to an official statement from the village.
Well 6 is located near the intersection of Council Trail and Jessie Road in LITH.
“The health and wellness of our citizens comes first for the Village of Lake in the Hills,” said Village President Ray Bogdanowski. “Though not required by state or national agencies, the Village Board of Trustees and staff decided to act quickly to eliminate additional risk to our community.”
The Village of Cary determined through testing that low levels of two unregulated PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), were present in water sampled from the shared treatment plant for Well number 8 and Well number 9.
According to Village of Cary officials, both water supply wells are shallow groundwater wells located alongside Spring Street, south of downtown Cary. The shared treatment plant was taken offline. PFAS was not detected at any of the village’s other water supply wells.
“The Village of Cary has taken a proactive approach to ensure our water system continues to meet all state and federal standards,” stated Cary Mayor Mark Kownick. “We are dedicated to providing safe drinking water to our community.”
Both LITH and Cary state that the drinking water in their respective villages continues to meet all federal and state drinking water standards and continues to be safe to drink.
Due to the resilience of their water systems, a professional staff of water treatment plant operators, and available capacity versus current demand, both villages have the luxury of temporarily eliminating the flows from the affected wells, even though this action is not required by the IEPA or the U.S. EPA.
“Both Villages seek to preserve and enhance the highest quality of life, safeguard public health and safety, and promote economic growth by providing services that are well-planned, environmentally sensitive, and cost-effective,” said an official statement from both LITH and Cary.
For more information about LITH’s response to the situation, residents can visit lith.org or may contact the Public Works Department at 847-960-7500.
To learn about Cary’s response, visit caryillinois.com or contact the Cary Public Works Department at 847-639-0003.
