“I’m hearing a lot of frustration, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety . ... In many instances, they’ve been drinking poisonous tap water for years, and some for as long as decades.”
Reliance on bottled water grows as tests find more PFAS in wells
The number of residents on French Island relying on bottled water is growing as state-led testing finds more “forever chemical” contamination, according to new claims filed Friday with the City of La Crosse.
About 2,000 residents of the small island near La Crosse are now getting bottled water either from the city or the state Department of Natural Resources, as the agency works to figure out how widespread the contamination is.
So far, 500 wells have been sampled, and results have come back for 400, said Tim Jacobson, a lawyer representing the residents in a lawsuit against La Crosse. Of those, only eight have tested negative for the PFAS, increasing the worry over the extent of contamination on the island.
“I’m hearing a lot of frustration, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety,” Jacobson said of his clients. “People’s lives have been turned upside down.”
The PFAS being found in drinking water across the island are likely the result of the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at the La Crosse Regional Airport for decades. PFAS were first detected on the island in 2014 in La Crosse municipal wells, and testing of private wells began late last year.
Jacobson said residents are frustrated that the notification took so long.
“In many instances, they’ve been drinking poisonous tap water for years, and some for as long as decades,” he said.
The airport inhabits the northern portion of the island, while the Town of Campbell inhabits the southern portion. French Island is across the Black River from the city and is home to about 4,300 residents. There are 1,200 private wells on the island.
As the testing continues, residents are working with environmental attorneys on a class-action lawsuit against the city for the pollution they’re facing.
Jacobson, of the local firm Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Butler, is representing 787 people on the island, and Friday served the city notices of circumstance of claim, the first of two steps to notify the city of all claims before a lawsuit can be filed.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing and carpet, nonstick cookware, packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the environment and human body over time.
The chemicals have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems, altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid hormones. The chemicals enter the human body largely through drinking water.
The DNR stepped in to increase the area being investigated at the end of March. Since then, the agency randomly selected 200 wells to test and is providing many people with bottled water after the city declined to, Jacobson said.
Jacobson said that residents will also pursue legal action against the companies that manufactured the PFAS-containing firefighting foam. Among others, Tyco Fire Products, which is based in Marinette, has been identified.
The city has already filed a lawsuit naming companies that manufactured the firefighting foam sold to the airport over the last several decades.