[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6094815,"mediaKeyId","2841905-b7b5adff3d6df677024f644806811c37","parentId",2841905,"title","County outlines PFAS testing, outreach after detections near Vancouver wells; private‑well owners urged to consider filters","audioSeconds",914,"startMs",2244000,"endMs",3158000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2841905-b7b5adff3d6df677024f644806811c37&start=2244&end=3158","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2841905-b7b5adff3d6df677024f644806811c37/thumbnail_2244000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6094815/Clark-County/Washington/County-outlines-PFAS-testing-outreach-after-detections-near-Vancouver-wells-privatewell-owners-urged-to-consider-filters","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094815-8178238a51c8b3e052c7a91f990b8547/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452045&Signature=nmBE-lIOpLcF~5nJHYxHVT~BmIIxpOnVUDy10dSmtaTkv1FogtVtaoQdyiU5GmEv74pjuDfhSgzrKxOPhywW6RYdM0nPkmnLnQpr8E4gxxK3~bYoQCDbC2dz~J1GxkrAPoJPeGJW8mf9Nzgw8WrDg2eyjasPYc9UzmmIjb8zpZfz9oKWpVZW5oon1o3OmChlKZTh1MgBrr1glwyWCH0w~b6GZd2UU4EAonqXtkAOfuaOf0nMgfe7D2bhwm32UABQSMlnC75t0RIWpW8vHoYZAO7PbKtNZI8Uvogj7drzxiVLvS6p55zRkltcWmBA-9y0aFdScgnYjHa67thNRLxrgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Clark County, WA","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","Clark County Public Health staff told the board on March 26 that the department is conducting targeted testing and outreach after PFAS detections in several City of Vancouver public water stations and that the county is expanding voluntary sampling of nearby private and small community wells.

Brian Dedonker, environmental health specialist and leader of the county’s Hazard Assessment Program, said the county secured a source‑water protection grant from the Washington State Department of Health for the 2024–2025 period to pay for testing and voluntary decommissioning where appropriate. Dedonker said the grant identified roughly 75 smaller wells among about 56 owners in time‑of‑travel zones near affected Vancouver wells; after verification the project tracked 63 wells and 28 had been sampled by the county at the time of the presentation.

“City of Vancouver has a total of nine water stations and eight of those nine have been found to have PFAS that do exceed the state action levels,” Dedonker told the board, summarizing city testing and the county’s focus for the small grant. He said county testing of nearby smaller wells has so far shown that “25 of those 28 wells that we've tested so far mirror the respective City of Vancouver well water results exceeding EPA thresholds.”

The county explained the regulatory context: in April 2024 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for several PFAS compounds; large public water systems must design and implement treatment to meet those standards by 2029. Washington state previously issued its own action levels in 2023; local staff said those state levels prompted additional sampling and outreach before the EPA rule.

County staff said the state Department of Health oversees regulatory compliance for large public water systems and that the city water providers — not the county — would design and fund required large‑scale treatment for municipal wells. “Those EPA levels … are to be adopted nationwide by 2029,” Dedonker said. County staff described the county role as collecting data, providing no‑cost guidance to private well owners and smaller systems, and pursuing grant funding to expand testing and assistance.

On household options, staff said certain home filtration devices can reduce exposure but depend on concentration and technology. Chuck Harmon pointed to county web resources detailing filter options; staff and presenters encouraged pregnant or breastfeeding people and those preparing infant formula to consider certified filtration if PFAS are present. County staff said state and federal grant pools for individual home filters are limited and not broadly available; the county is exploring additional grants and programs but said any direct financial assistance for individual filters would likely be limited and targeted at small community systems.

Public and council questions focused on exposure risks, treatment costs and where responsibility lies for remediation. Board members asked about costs to design and install municipal treatment; county staff said those cost estimates sit with the affected water utilities and recommended contacting City of Vancouver for project budgets. Staff said one practical mitigation step is reducing source‑water PFAS exposure before it enters wastewater or treatment plants, which can, in turn, reduce PFAS in wastewater streams.

County action and next steps: the small 2024–2025 state grant funds testing and voluntary sampling (grant period cited 01/01/2024–06/30/2025). County staff said they are preparing a larger regional grant application for the 2025–2027 biennium to extend testing, assistance and coordination with city and utility partners. The county also maintains a public PFAS information page and a form for residents to submit questions about well testing and treatment options.

Why it matters: PFAS (per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are persistent in the environment and associated in high‑exposure studies with adverse health outcomes; EPA standards are measured in parts per trillion, and the presence of PFAS in source water triggers long‑term planning and potential treatment requirements by utilities and actions for affected private‑well owners.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Clark County Board of Health meeting, March 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Clark County Public Health described ongoing PFAS testing around Vancouver water stations and a small state‑funded project that has sampled 28 private or small community wells so far; staff said 25 of 28 tested mirrors exceeded EPA thresholds and the county is preparing a larger grant to expand the work.","taxTitle","Clark County, Washington","taxId",2766,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6094820,"Clark County adopts amendments to on‑site sewage code to align with new state septic rules",2057,133000,2190000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2841905-b7b5adff3d6df677024f644806811c37&start=133&end=2190","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2841905-b7b5adff3d6df677024f644806811c37/thumbnail_133000.jpg","/articles/6094820/Clark-County/Washington/Clark-County-adopts-amendments-to-onsite-sewage-code-to-align-with-new-state-septic-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094820-fcc2e280a6bbd6ea35b37409fed3d907/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452045&Signature=THAAAB~v~n0fx~qdXDbNEGlsIRaKSvhn8Wf4IcAAZJSC6X3e74Gsfh2LRF9WdSuYv-uEEnkNG1txF7ERFoN87XpyyssbNsEWvFP83sNsqxWmVAjCEp4I0JNUuIZnD~mhXJDWAzHnzh2VHLy65S5BJ5mq~SneEE7-GYo00L0RkvAFnSYV0UelwHcfLod-2YScWmMBtjldhoQ69MNJSs0hgTw3k9rGc0vOBw~grpMQzoqJCt7O5GWV8eq56BwxPBmPUFaXmisxynC6j7IA0zUXOLZ1Ymo4L5kPQE84ue1aEMtK2X~mBv8C5J1AoXLhFVQvn1yX4hTSCr4ii9EejOg6jA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Clark County Board of Health on March 26 adopted Ordinance 20250312, amending Clark County Code 24.17 (on‑site sewage systems and regulation) to align local rules with updated Washington state on‑site septic regulations that take effect April 1, 2025.

The changes are intended to make county rules “consistent with or at least as stringent as the state code for septic rules,” Chuck Harmon, program manager for on‑site septic programs at Clark County Public Health, told the board during a public hearing. Harmon said the state has worked on the rule changes for five to six years and that counties must be consistent with the new state standards.

The updates address several areas of practical effect for property development and septic system management. They increase minimum lot‑area requirements for new development served by septic — by roughly 500 to 1,000 square feet depending on soil conditions — and explicitly require space for both a primary system and a future replacement drain field. County staff said the lot‑size standard varies by soil type and water supply: in poor soils or where private water supplies are used, required areas can be substantially larger; under an alternative sizing methodology the smallest lots could be about 12,500 square feet, and in the worst soils sizing could approach two acres.

Harmon and Miles Lawson, interim permitting manager for the on‑site program, told the board that the code preserves an exemption for existing legal lots of record created under earlier rules. “There’s an exemption for existing legal lots of record that were created before the current set of standards,” Lawson said; the new minimums primarily apply to the creation of new lots such as subdivisions and short plats.

The ordinance also clarifies repair and remediation rules. The code continues to require the least‑expensive repair or replacement that meets rules and sets timeframes to remedy unpermitted sewage discharges. The state rule updates add remediation options for failed drain fields on small lots, and they require field testing to verify performance of proprietary nitrogen‑ or disinfection‑treating components before those systems are broadly approved. Harmon said the state conducts the approvals for proprietary treatment technologies and that counties may receive local applications as part of state testing programs.

County staff said the changes include new language to ensure usable area is counted for lot sizing (excluding wetlands or permanently unusable land), and they reaffirm county practice of certifying pumpers, inspectors and installers at the local level while designers and engineers remain licensed by the state. Harmon said local code allows some homeowner self‑inspection programs, but last cycle the county intentionally limited homeowner self‑installation because of problems seen previously.

Several councilors asked how the new lot sizes would affect development in urban growth areas and whether the change would force more connections to sewer. Lawson said the county development code requires connection where sewer is available and that the increased minimums mainly affect new rural subdivisions; he added that for like‑for‑like repairs on failed septic systems, if the replacement cost is less than half the cost to connect to sewer, the county allows replacement rather than forced connection. Councilors pressed staff for more detail about the nitrogen‑reducing treatment and potential homeowner costs; Harmon said nitrogen‑reducing proprietary systems approved by the state must meet an NSF standard (roughly a 50% nitrogen reduction benchmark) and that costs vary a great deal by site and technology — ranging from lower‑cost gravity systems ($5,000–$10,000) up to higher‑treatment systems that can run in the tens of thousands of dollars depending on circumstances.

Public commenters during the hearing expressed broader concerns about growth, water quality and contaminants. One online commenter, Kimberly Goheen, said, “We are polluting the hell out of our earth,” and urged greater local transparency on water pollution. Another speaker, Wynn Gersich, urged attention to hazardous wastes and long‑term contaminants entering water and soil.

Action: Council moved and passed Ordinance 20250312 by roll call vote. Council recorded aye votes from Councilor Young, Councilor Belcott, Councilor Fuentes, Councilor Little and Chair Marshall (5–0). The ordinance number in the meeting packet is 20250312. The consent minutes (02/19/2025) were also approved earlier on the consent agenda.

Why it matters: The state rule changes become effective April 1, 2025; county staff said adopting the local amendments now prevents a gap between state and local standards and clarifies requirements developers, designers and homeowners must meet when building or repairing on‑site systems.

The county declined to set an immediate effective date for every local administrative step in the hearing; staff said additional implementation guidance and permit procedures will follow and that they will continue outreach with the on‑site septic industry and a technical advisory committee.","The Clark County Board of Health on March 26 approved Ordinance 20250312 to update local code 24.17 to match Washington state on‑site septic rules taking effect April 1, 2025. The changes raise minimum lot sizes in some soils, clarify repair and remediation procedures, and add testing requirements for some proprietary treatment components.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County outlines PFAS testing, outreach after detections near Vancouver wells; private‑well owners urged to consider filters

Clark County adopts amendments to on‑site sewage code to align with new state septic rules