Three community speakers told the Edmonds School District board on July 16 that PFAS — the class of “forever chemicals” — has been found in stormwater near Madrona K‑8 and that underground injection disposal at the site risks contaminating the Deer Creek Critical Aquifer Recharge Area (CARA).

John Brock, a Woodway town council member and resident, said the district has been injecting stormwater from Madrona into underground injection control (UIC) wells and that groundwater modeling estimates PFAS could reach public water wellheads in 10 to 15 years. “This contamination has been documented,” Brock said, and he told the board he was “not aware of any mitigation efforts currently underway by the school district.”

Diana Maich, speaking as a community member and a former elementary school librarian, reviewed scientific findings she said link PFAS exposure to reproductive and developmental effects, immune impacts, metabolic changes and cognitive and behavioral harms in children. “PFAS exposure is associated with decreased fertility, preeclampsia, low birth weight, accelerated puberty … and behavioral changes in children,” Maich said.

Diane Buksnis, a former Edmonds city council member, urged the board to direct the district to work collaboratively with Olympic View Water and Sewer District, to allocate funds in the district budget for a scientific assessment, to engage independent experts and to ensure transparency and community involvement. She cited state and federal environmental statutes and said the district’s CARA code and past permitting choices allowed the UIC wells.

Board members did not discuss a specific mitigation plan during public comment. Director Smith said the district is committed to following state and local laws but declined to discuss matters that may be part of pending litigation. The board earlier in the meeting adopted its 2025‑26 budget by roll call (Resolution 25‑16), a separate action that district staff said preserves fund balance to respond to unanticipated needs.

Speakers requested the district coordinate water‑quality monitoring and data sharing with Olympic View, pursue independent scientific review, and budget for remediation or monitoring work. The Washington State Department of Ecology is already involved, speakers said; Buksnis referred to pending appeals related to local CARA code changes. No board motion directing staff to take the specific actions requested was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Why it matters: the Deer Creek CARA supplies local drinking water to parts of Edmonds, Woodway and surrounding areas, and community speakers characterized the aquifer as especially vulnerable where protective soils are absent. The presence of PFAS in site stormwater and the use of UIC wells were the central concerns raised to the board.

What the transcript shows and does not show: speakers described documented detections near Madrona K‑8, cited modeling that projects contamination reaching wellheads in a decade or more, and asked for coordinated assessment and mitigation. The board confirmed the district is committed to legal compliance but did not publicly adopt the specific study or mitigation steps requested during this meeting.

Next steps noted by speakers and staff: community members urged immediate coordination with Olympic View Water and Sewer District, independent scientific review, and budgeted monitoring. The district did not record a formal vote or motion on those requests at this meeting.