Department of Heath gives a sneak peek of their 10-year drinking water action plan to deal with "forever chemicals"

The Minnesota Department of Heath is giving a sneak peek of their 10-year drinking water action plan amid concern over PFAS, or forever chemicals, across the state.

This comes after state lawmakers asked the department to address outdated drinking water infrastructure, which is often the source of the contamination.

Planning Director of Drinking Water Protection Tannie Eshenaur says moving forward, private wells will be a main focus.

"We know there are lots of wells in the state that were constructed before the state well code passed," says Eshenaur. "So we estimate that in the State of Minnesota, about 20% of the population relies on a private well."

She says some of those wells contain toxic chemicals including arsenic, and the new plan would require Minnesota residents to test all potentially compromised water sources.

It's all part of a ten-year strategy for making the states drinking water safer. It comes with major concerns about PFAS , a group of thousands of human-made chemicals known to be toxic that do not break down in the environment, earning them the nickname "forever chemicals." The chemicals are produced, used, processed, and released into the environment. The MPCA says these contaminants have not been thoroughly studied their toxicity and danger to people's health and the environment.

PFAS have been found in groundwater and surface water throughout Minnesota and have seeped into some drinking water systems. Exposure to these chemicals over time has been linked to cancer, weakened immunity, liver problems, and low birth weights.

The Water Policy Center's Frieda Von Qualen says the 10-year plan included a lot of public input that has ultimately guided the department's approach to the problem.

"Some of the key takeaways were that generally, most people do trust their tap water at home," Von Qualen said. "But there are 20% who really, they don't trust their tap water and they are most concerned about some specific contaminants, chemicals and water hardness."

In 2022, Maplewood-based 3M, a large manufacturer of PFAS, said it will stop making "forever chemicals" beginning in 2025 .

According to a study by the US Geological Survey , nearly half of the tap water in the United States is contaminated with "forever chemicals" that are considered dangerous to human health.

Von Qualen also says a big part of the plan will include making in person contact with rural and urban communities that may rely on private wells or other types of less regulated water systems.