The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the 3M Company has agreed to an order to address contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in the drinking water in the vicinity of 3M’s Cordova, Ill. facility.
As part of the order, the company agreed to sample and provide treatment to address the contaminant in the area’s drinking water. Recent sampling results provided by 3M indicate the widespread presence of a mixture of at least 19 different PFAS chemicals in drinking water within a 3-mile radius of the Cordova facility.
EPA concluded that the situation affecting the community constitutes an imminent and substantial endangerment under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The area has been affected by over five decades of PFAS discharges and is now host to many types of PFAS chemicals.
“I have directed EPA staff to use every enforcement tool at our disposal to require manufacturers of PFAS to address potential endangerment to the public and to compel them to characterize, control, and clean up ongoing and past PFAS contamination,” says EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Communities have suffered far too long from exposure to these chemicals. This settlement is a critical step forward in our work to protect communities from pollution and hold polluters accountable for their actions.”
Another part of the settlement requires 3M to offer treatment to all private well owners within 3 miles of the facility and to the Camanche Water Supply in Iowa, in an effort to remove PFAS from the drinking water. 3M is also required to offer drinking water sampling out to 4 miles from the facility for private well owners and out to 10 miles from the facility for public water systems as well as to the Quad Cities’ public water systems, using EPA protocols and conducted under EPA oversight.
The company will also complete construction of an over $170 million wastewater treatment system at the Cordova facility, which 3M says may capture more than 95 percent of PFAS in water.
"This agreement demonstrates the positive impact that engagement between regulators and 3M can have for communities, and we appreciate the EPA's work to reach this milestone," says John Banovetz, 3M executive vice president and chief technology officer. "We are committed to continuing our work with community and government stakeholders to chart a path forward that uses science to manage our operations, create important products people rely on, and engage our communities."
EPA says that 3M’s sampling of the drinking water in private wells near the facility detected a range of concentrations including: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) of non-detect to 25 ppt, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) of non-detect to 30 ppt, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), or “GenX” of non-detect to 59 ppt, and perfluorobutane sulfunate (PFBS) of non-detect to 51 ppt.
However, 3M did not use EPA test methods for that sampling. As a result, the order issued today requires 3M to sample these wells again following EPA test methods.
3M was one of the original companies developing and producing PFAS within the United States, and their Cordova facility operations and discharges containing PFAS chemicals date back to the 1970s. 3M’s agreement to the terms of the order, including completing the work required under EPA’s oversight, is an important step to begin addressing the problem created by decades of contamination.
The settlement is part of EPA’s ongoing efforts to compel major PFAS manufacturers to characterize and control ongoing releases from their facilities.
