South Carolina River ‘Most Contaminated’ With Toxic PFAS in the U.S.: Report

South Carolina’s Pocotaligo River has been found by Waterkeeper Alliance to be the most polluted with hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the country.

The findings have implications for the health of residents who fish from the river, as well as rivers downstream.

“The high levels of PFAS in the Pocotaligo River are very concerning, especially for the people who fish in the river,’’ said Carl Brzorad, an attorney with Southern Environmental Law Center, in an email to The State. “All indications are that industrial dischargers in Sumter are dumping toxic PFAS into the Pocotaligo through the town’s wastewater treatment plant, which is not equipped to treat these chemicals. These industrial polluters need to treat their PFAS so that it doesn’t poison rivers and fish.’’

Brzorad criticized the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (DES) for not using the Clean Water Act to limit wastewater discharges of PFAS. The law permits DES to regulate discharges, but Brzorad said, “DES has never set limits on PFAS in a discharge permit.”

“The Pocotaligo is perhaps the worst example in South Carolina of DES’s failure to enforce the law and control industrial PFAS pollution,” Brzorad said.

Though the Pocotaligo is not currently a source of public drinking water, the fact that it is contaminated with PFAS could hamper efforts to establish plants as groundwater supplies dwindle.

In the report, Unnatural, Unbreakable, Unseen: Uncovering PFAS Contamination in Frontline Communities, the researchers reveal that 98 percent of waters in the U.S. are contaminated with PFAS.

Elevated levels of the toxic chemical compounds were detected at 95 percent of sites located downstream from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), a press release from Waterkeeper Alliance said. Eighty percent of sampled sites downstream from biosolids application fields were also contaminated.

The new report built on the 2022 Phase I report by Waterkeeper Alliance. The Phase II report focused especially on sites downstream from permitted biosolids application fields and WWTPs in disproportionately impacted communities in 19 states.

“PFAS can contaminate our water, soil, air, and evidence suggests that it is linked to several diseases and health risks,” said Vanessa Muñoz, Waterways Program Manager for the Hispanic Access Foundation, in the press release. “But what is often overlooked is who is being exposed to it and why, and unfortunately Latino and other communities of color are disproportionately faced to bear the burden.”

The total PFAS detected by Waterkeeper Alliance exceeded the Environmental Working Group’s health-based criteria of one part per trillion (ppt) at all WWTPs and 90 percent of the biosolids sites.

The contamination also surpassed federal thresholds for PFOS and PFOA — two of the most hazardous PFAS — for drinking water at multiple sites, some of which exceeded 10 ppt.

Downstream from 17 of the WWTPs, total PFAS increased, with one spiking to 228.29 ppt — almost 3,000 percent. Downstream from six of the biosolids application sites, total PFAS was also higher, with one site spiking to 106.51 ppt — over 5,100 percent.

The report comes months after an announcement of plans by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to weaken drinking water standards for PFAS in the U.S. According to the EPA, the drinking water supply of roughly 100 million people living in the country is affected by the dangerous chemicals.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is considering delaying the enforcement of new regulations for PFOS and PFOA, as well as rolling back rules for several harmful compounds like GenX, PFHxS and PFNA.

The lack of federal limits on PFAS in biosolids further compounds the issue. The EPA has been aware of the presence of the unhealthy chemical compounds in biosolids since at least 2003.

“There is no denying that PFAS contamination is a national crisis. Our latest sampling confirms that it’s widespread and persistent, threatening waterways and public health across the country,” said CEO of Waterkeeper Alliance Marc Yaggi in the press release. “Local Waterkeepers and partners bring deep local knowledge and dedication to this ongoing effort, helping to fill critical data gaps, driving policy and solutions.”