Freeport tackles PFAs contamination with new water treatment facility

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Freeport, Rockton, and Loves Park were 3 of 47 Illinois communities recently notified by the state Environmental Protection Agency of PFAs, or “forever chemicals,” in the groundwater.

Freeport City Manager Rob Boyer said the city has been working to build a new water treatment plant.

“Bear in mind, this is no surprise to the city,” Boyer said. “We’ve been working on this for nearly ten years. We were one of the pilot communities that found out early on.”

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) are man-made chemicals that remain persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the human body, and can lead to reproductive, developmental, and cancer risks.

“We’ve taken this seriously, from the first day that we found out about it, and we voluntarily took source water offline as a precautionary step early on. And we’ve essentially been ahead of the curve since we found out about it,” Boyer said.

Contaminated wells were taken offline, and a plan was made to create two additional wells and the new treatment plant.

“We have one last piece of the puzzle that has to be finished now is as Well 12,” Boyer said. “This will be the necessary redundant capacity for us to enable us to do maintenance and things on our other source of water on the other wells.”

“I just want the community to know that we are on top of it and we are the watchers on the law, making sure that is correct and it is healthy already,” he added.