New report shows PFAS contamination in 98% of waterways tested

By Great Lakes Now | Lisa John Rogers | June 27, 2025

Read the full article by Lisa John Rogers (Great Lakes Now)

"On June 26, the non-profit group Waterkeeper Alliance announced the results of a study conducted across 19 states, which revealed PFAS contamination in 98% of the waterways tested. This is part of a multi-phase monitoring initiative aimed at pressuring federal and state legislatures to stop the use of biosolids and prioritize funding and monitoring of PFAS — among other requests.

This study specifically focused on waterways near wastewater treatment plants and sites that utilize biosolids as fertilizer. While “forever chemicals” were found both upstream and downstream from these sites, they discovered elevated levels at 95% of the downstream sites sampled from treatment plants. The highest amount of a single chemical was found in Michigan’s Rouge River, with 44 parts per trillion (ppt) of PFOA. Last April, under the Biden administration, the EPA set enforceable maximum contaminant levels at 4 ppt for PFOA. In Wisconsin, ten different versions of PFAS were discovered in Root River, with the highest being 18 ppt of PFPeA.

On June 24, “the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the authority of state environmental regulators to address PFAS contamination under the state’s spills law without first designating them as hazardous substances,” according to Wisconsin Public Radio. In 2021, the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce sued the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on behalf of the dry cleaning company, Leather-Rich."