Sweetwater Authority Continues Proactive Work Towards PFAS by Sweetwater Authority May 22, 2025 Member Submitted News CHULA VISTA – Sweetwater Authority (Authority) continues to work proactively to mitigate the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected in Sweetwater Reservoir in late 2024. In March, the Authority transferred approximately 8,000 acre-feet of water from its Loveland Reservoir to Sweetwater Reservoir to reduce PFAS levels. “This transfer was highly successful and provided a meaningful reduction in PFAS levels at virtually no cost to the Authority or its ratepayers,” explained Sweetwater Authority General Manager Carlos Quintero. “PFAS levels are now below the response level and meet state and federal safety standards. While there is more work to do, this is a great short-term step in the right direction.” A response level is a higher benchmark than a notification level and requires a water agency to take action. The Authority also issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in May 2025 for an engineering consultant to help address the PFAS issue. The consultant will assess data, explore treatment options, and estimate costs to help the Authority plan for long-term mitigation efforts in advance of federal EPA compliance deadlines. RFQ responses are due by June 9, 2025. Because mitigation efforts will likely be expensive, the Authority is pursuing legal action against PFAS manufacturers responsible for creating the chemicals in the first place. It has settled with 3M, DuPont, Tyco and BASF and recently received notice that the Authority will soon receive 20% of the expected payout from 3M, which is $1.248 million, or a net of $957,000 after fees. The remainder of the 3M settlement will be paid out over the next eight years. The DuPont, Tyco and BASF settlement payments have not been finalized. “Even with settlement monies, we have to consider how a multimillion-dollar treatment facility would be funded,” continued Quintero. “The cost is much higher than any legal payout we’ll receive.” The Authority is also seeking highly competitive state and federal funding to help with this widespread issue, though there’s no guarantee of additional support. Amid all these efforts, the EPA announced last week that it plans to develop a rulemaking to provide additional time for compliance, including a proposal to extend the compliance date to 2031. This would give water agencies more time to develop long-term remediation solutions related to PFAS. It also announced plans to retain the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for PFOA and PFOS at four parts per trillion (ppt) individually, while rescinding and reconsidering the decision to individually regulate several other PFAS chains. The Department of Drinking Water, however, has indicated that California does not expect to deviate from the current PFAS proposed MCLs, or maximum contaminate levels. “This latest deadline modification illustrates how complex and dynamic the PFAS issue is,” explained Quintero. PFAS remediation is estimated at $200 billion in the United States alone, given the tremendous prevalence of this man-made chemical (Source: AECOM/Bank of America). “Sweetwater Authority’s highest priority is the health and safety of our community,” said Quintero. “We are staying on top of this issue by closely monitoring our water supplies, acting swiftly when needed, and being transparent every step of the way.” To that end, the Authority continues its public information campaign to keep rate payers informed. Since learning of PFAS in Sweetwater Reservoir, the Authority has held seven community meetings throughout the Authority’s service area and provided continuous communication with stakeholders via direct and social media. The Authority has posted resources on its PFAS education webpage, including the latest data related to the Loveland transfer, and information related to limiting exposure through purchasing PFAS-free products. There’s also a guide to PFAS-free purchasing for organizations, as well as EPA resources for reducing PFAS risk and a guide to purchasing water filters. The Authority will continue to provide updates to customers as additional testing is completed. For more information, please visit www.sweetwater.org/PFAS, call the PFAS hotline at 619-409-6789 or email pfas@sweetwater.org.
