Dakota County said it found PFAS in all 27 of the wells used for testing ground water

[00:00:00]Uh forever chemicals are banned now in Minnesota.

[00:00:03]>> But like their name suggests, they are still there. Today Dakota County said it found PFAS in all 27 of the wells that they used to test groundwater. Our Jeff Wagner is here now with how homeowners can see whether those concerning chemicals are in their systems, Jeff.

[00:00:19]>> Yeah, the health effects are stark.

[00:00:20]Studies show PFAS are linked to decreased fertility, developmental issues for kids, and cancer risks. And that's why knowing if they're in the water that's entering or near your home is important.

[00:00:32]Scattered across Dakota County, especially its rural landscape, are more than 8,000 private drinking wells. Over the past several years, the county took samples from 114 of them. PFAS were found in 94, some of which had levels higher than state and federal drinking guidelines. Each well tested can be viewed on a new online dashboard. The three most concerning types of PFAS are highlighted, showing if they're found in the well and whether they exceed guidelines.

[00:00:59]>> But if you are in a private well, and you know, you're concerned about your water, um this kind of gives you a chance to see what potentially could be in your area, um determine what your risks are of PFAS or potentially other contaminants.

[00:01:12]>> One well showing elevated PFAS was in the area of Jeanette Frandrup's farm.

[00:01:17]She told us her home, fortunately, has a reverse osmosis filtration system, which removes the forever chemicals. Dakota County officials had a similar suggestion for anyone worried their private well or one nearby might have concerning levels of PFAS.

[00:01:31]>> The recommendations that we have is you could do something as simple as doing a granulated activated carbon filter.

[00:01:37]>> While Dakota County's dashboard focuses on wells, the Minnesota Department of Health has a statewide dashboard for community water systems. More than 20 of them need to be treated for elevated levels of PFAS, including Robbinsdale in Hennepin County, where crews are drilling hundreds of feet into the ground this month to locate the chemical source.

[00:01:57]>> Municipal water, again, it's tested.

[00:01:59]Department of Health regulates that.

[00:02:00]They have to meet federal drinking water standards. But if you're on a private well, really you're responsible for your own system.

[00:02:07]>> We'll have a link to both dashboards attached to this story on our website, as well as more information on how to remove PFAS from the water entering your home, Amelia.

[00:02:15]>> All right. Thank you, Jeff.