Kalispell hosting open house on wells contaminated with forever chemicals

Following the revelation that cancer-linked PFAS contaminants, also known as "forever chemicals," are circulating in Kalispell's drinking water supply, city officials are hosting an open house for concerned residents.

Officials will be available Thursday to take questions regarding regulations, health advisory references, sample results and city actions in Council Chambers inside City Hall, 201 First Ave. E., between 3 and 7 p.m.

Officials announced the gathering after the Daily Montanan, a nonprofit newsroom, reported that EPA testing found two well sites drawing water contaminated with PFAS or perfluorooctane sulfonate. Kalispell was one of two municipalities in the state with forever chemicals detected in the water supply, the other being Hamilton. 

The Grandview Wells and Armory Well sites in Kalispell were found to suffer from contamination, with the former location home to a well that recorded contaminants at 330 times EPA health advisory levels, according to the Daily Montanan. 

Forever chemicals like PFAS can build up in people, animals and environments over time, according to the EPA. Scientific studies have found that exposure at certain levels can lead to decreased fertility, higher blood pressure in pregnant women, developmental effects or delays in children, increased risk of certain cancers, impair immune systems, interfere with natural hormones, increased cholesterol levels and an elevated risk of obesity. 

Still, the effect of PFAS on people remains under study, according to the EPA. Health effects from exposure are difficult to specify, according to an agency fact sheet on forever chemicals.

In a press release, Kalispell officials recommended that residents concerned about the adverse effects of PFAS speak with their doctor or a health care professional. They also suggested residents install home filters as boiling, freezing or letting water stand does nothing to reduce PFAS levels. 

Officials said that additional sampling is ongoing at Kalispell wells. Further samples will be taken in August. The municipality is also blending water from multiple sources, which reduces the concentrations of PFAS. 

The city is working with the state Department of Environmental Quality to identify funding if it becomes necessary to replace the affected wells, officials said.

For more information, go to: https://www.kalispell.com/850/Consumer-Drinking-Water-Notice.