Jan Bowman is pictured collecting a water sample from the Chadakoin River

Recent testing by the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium shows none of the 55 “forever” chemicals following tests in Bear, Findley and Cassadaga lakes.

The consortium’s study, written by Bill Boria, former county water resource specialist at the Chautauqua County Health Department, also repeated previous findings that there are low levels of PFAs in the Chadakoin River and where the river meets Chautauqua Lake. Potential sources of PFAS in Chautauqua Lake include sewage treatment plants, inactive landfills, hazardous waste sites, industrial discharge, certain fire suppressants, and septic systems. The report does point out that eating fish containing PFAS can be a health risk.

“The PFAS chemicals detected in the Chadakoin River and Chautauqua Lake outlet samples are low and do not cause any reason for alarm at this time,” Boria’s report states. “They are well below the current (state Health Department’s) PFOA and PFOS standard for drinking water of 10 ppt and the EPA’s proposed standard of 4 ppt set to take effect in 2029. However, PFOS does hover around one-half of DEC’s ambient water quality guidance value for human health of 2.7 ppt.”

PFAS levels in Chautauqua Lake are well below existing and proposed standards for drinking water and lower than those found in many lakes across the country.

Finding PFAS in the Chadakoin River and the outlet prompted the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium to examine other inland lakes in Chautauqua County. PFAS have also been found in wells in Mayville, a mobile home park in Busti that had to change its water system even though no obvious sources of PFAS was found, and the Army reserve center in Gerry, which found low levels of PFAS in its drinking water well.

“The fact that samples from our other inland lakes and the Jamestown Audubon pond showed no detections, suggest their watersheds are devoid of major PFAS sources and that the PFAS chemicals present in Chautauqua Lake are associated with urban and industrial activity,” the report states. “In fact, the other waterbodies sampled have little urbanization, industry and few if any contaminated sites.”

Several sites on Chautauqua Lake test for PFAS. Because the lake is used as a source of drinking water by the Chautauqua Utility District, which serves Chautauqua Institution, and by the town of Chautauqua Water District 2, which serves Chautauqua Lake Estates, they are both required to monitor for PFAS in their treated drinking water.

Chautauqua Utility District has had no detections and Chautauqua Water District 2 has detected PFOA

at levels less than 1 ppt. It’s also possible that municipal sewage treatment plants near Chautauqua Lake will be required to start testing for PFAS, particularly those that discharge upstream of McCrea Point in Jamestown.

Boria’s report also recommend further testing for PFAS in Chautauqua Lake.

“Based on results from this limited water quality study, it is recommended that a more thorough PFAS study be conducted on Chautauqua Lake that includes collecting samples from multiple sites in the lake at different depths and during different seasons,” the report states. “Further sampling should be conducted at the other lakes to confirm this study’s results and consideration given to sampling major creeks and rivers throughout the region.”

The report provides information about how PFAS has been found in fish across the county and in deer meat in two states. It also describes how it has been found at dangerous levels in a few local drinking water supplies.

Volunteers from the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium are available to test for PFAS. For more information, visit cccwaters.org and click on “Contact Us” and under “Interest” indicate “PFAS sampling.”

For the full report visit cccwaters.org.