Jan Bowman collecting a water sample from the Chadakoin River.
There is increasing chatter in health circles today about the potential dangers caused by PFAS — the acronym given to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — the synthetic compounds widely used in industry over the past 80 years which appear in everything from candy wrappers to firefighting foam to dental floss.
These “forever chemicals” are present in varying amounts in waters everywhere, and to get a handle on how prevalent they are in Chautauqua County inland lakes, the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium, a Waterkeeper Alliance Affiliate, sampled several sites. The report of the survey has been completed and was recently released by William Boria, water resource specialist retired from the Chautauqua County Health Department.
The “PFAS in Chautauqua County Lakes” report found none of the 55 PFAS chemicals tested in Bear, Findley or Cassadaga lakes, but low levels of PFAS were found in the Chadakoin River and the Chautauqua Lake outlet. However, the report states that they “do not cause any reason for alarm at this time.” Potential sources of PFAS in Chautauqua Lake include sewage treatment plants, inactive landfills, hazardous waste sites, industrial discharge, certain fire suppressants, and septic systems. The report does point out that eating fish containing PFAS can be a health risk. For the full report go to our website cccwaters.org.
The report provides information about how PFAS has been found in fish across the county and in deer meat in two states. It also describes how it has been found at dangerous levels in a few local drinking water supplies.
Monitoring these chemicals is the first step for public safety. Volunteers from the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium are available to come to your home or workplace to test your water for the presence of PFAS using reliable Cyclopure sampling kits. If you are interested in having your water tested, go to “Contact Us” at the Consortium website and under “Interest” indicate “PFAS sampling.” Know that if your drinking water comes from a public, municipal provider, they are required to regularly monitor PFAS for you.