The Lakeland School District superintendent fills up his reusable water bottle at a fountain near the high school lobby.
Water tests the last two years revealed the level of “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, as high as 10 times greater than federal limits.
A filter makes the fountain water safe to drink, but the school in Scott Twp., Lackawanna County, has plans to install a building-wide treatment system.
“It's an example of a microcosm of what's happening across the state and a lot of different places,” Superintendent Marc Wyandt said. “The health, safety and welfare of our students, of our staff, are always our top priority.”
From school drinking fountains to private wells and municipal water systems, testing and new regulations have increased awareness of “forever chemicals” across Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania. Residents, utilities and government agencies are working to treat water and minimize risk.
“People are becoming more aware of just how prevalent PFAS is in everything we use,” Wyandt said. “It seems to be kind of ubiquitous. And, you know, that's concerning.”
What are PFAS?
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a collective name for a broad class of man-made chemicals, according to Penn State Extension, whose researchers study impacts.
“PFAS are not naturally occurring. They are synthetic chemicals,” explained Faith Kibuye, water resources extension specialist and an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State. “It's not one singular chemical compound. It's a group of chemicals that have unique properties.”
The chemicals can repel water, oil and stains, and some can remain stable at extreme temperatures. Since the 1940s, they’ve been used in a wide range of products, including in the industrial, household, building, construction, textile, medical and automotive sectors.
Common uses include firefighting foams, fireproofing, stain-proofing, non-stick cookware, waterproof apparel, packaging and cosmetics, according to Penn State. Eventually, those chemicals can make it to groundwater.
“It's just that right now we have the capabilities and instrumentation and also scientific methodologies that allow us to detect them in the environment at very low concentrations,” Kibuye said. “Because the science for PFAS is still rapidly evolving, more research is being done to figure out the feasibility of remediation at a large-scale level.”
Impact of PFAS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized primary drinking water regulations in 2024. The agency considers drinking water with levels above four parts per trillion of most kinds of PFAS chemicals unsafe.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) notes that 1 part per trillion equates to 1 drop of water in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that most people in the United States have been exposed to some PFAS. Most known exposures are relatively low, but some can be high, particularly when people are exposed to a concentrated source over long periods of time.
Exposure to certain levels may lead to decreased fertility, developmental effects in children, increased risk of cancer and a reducing a person's ability to fight infections, according to the EPA.
Testing for chemicals
Under the EPA regulations, water providers — including schools that rely on private wells, such as Lakeland — must test for PFAS.
After testing for the first time two years ago, more than 30 Pennsylvania schools that rely on well water tested above the EPA standards.
Lakeland's most recent testing showed 30 parts per trillion at the high school, far above the EPA limit of 4 parts per trillion, according to DEP data. The district is installing a water treatment system for the entire building, instead of the point-of-use filters installed two years ago in fountains and the cafeteria.
Columbia County Contamination
A mobile home park in Columbia County recorded some of the highest PFAS levels in the state when testing began in 2024.
A DEP investigation is ongoing, with testing expanded beyond Brookside Village Mobile Home Park in North Centre Twp., which had recorded levels 110 times state standards.
As of the end of March, the DEP has tested more than 285 wells, with 115 of them detecting PFAS levels above federal standards. The agency is providing 81 homes with bottled water and has installed 34 home treatment systems. Bottled water will continue to be provided until DEP installs an in-home treatment system, municipal water can be provided or another final remedy is determined.
Based on initial information, the DEP believes that historic spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural properties in the area caused the contamination. DEP has located multiple sites permitted to accept sewage sludge. A review of Bloomsburg Municipal Authority records indicates other sites received the sludge before individual permitting was required. DEP continues to investigate sites where the sludge was spread, according to the agency.
The investigation and remediation activities are funded through the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA) program. The latest approved budget for the investigation is $802,119.
DEP has scheduled an open house and public hearing to update residents on investigation activities. The event, scheduled for May 11 at Central Columbia High School, 4777 Old Berwick Road, Bloomsburg, will start with an open house at 5 p.m. Residents can speak with DEP representatives and partner agencies and organizations. A public hearing will follow at 7 p.m.
Looking for solutions
In Pike County, the Matamoras Municipal Authority alerted customers in April that it received test results of 30 parts per trillion, over the federal limit of 4 parts per trillion.
The authority is reducing the overall use of the affected wells until the problem is resolved, according to the notice. The authority is working with the DEP and other experts and is looking at either replacing wells or building a treatment plant. Other wells used by the authority are under DEP limits.
Lakeland is unable to know exactly what caused PFAS contamination in the water from the school’s well. The land the school sits on was used for agriculture, Wyandt said. Levels at the adjacent elementary school, on a separate well, initially read above limits. Its levels are lower now, but the district may eventually install a water treatment system there as well, he said.
The DEP placed the district in a program that provides engineering services. A state Department of Education program will cover half the costs of the high school water treatment system. The district is seeking bids.
“We certainly would have preferred to not be in the position we're in,” Wyandt said. “I'm thankful that we were able to No. 1, recognize the issue, and then, No. 2, inform the community and take quick action.”
