Part 3:
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT WATER QUALITY IN SUN VALLEY
by Cassidy Mantor
WHJ strives to be a valuable resource in building your home and designing your life in Sun Valley. In the spirit of that mission, we’re digging deeper and presenting a third installment of our inquiry into Water in the West. After taking a high level look at water supply and hearing from landscape design and irrigation experts as to how best to conserve water for a sustainable future, we are now honing in on water quality, a key piece in the greater wellness puzzle and a consideration for longevity as we choose where to live in working years as well as retirement.
While researching for a similar article for WHJ’s Park City issue, I encountered a study that revealed 78% of residents there were concerned about water quality. This begged the question of why. My research led me down a rabbit hole beginning when authorities found low levels of PFAS – forever chemicals in Park City’s well water. Their municipal water quality professionals determined the PFAS were likely from fluoro ski wax since the highest concentrations were around Nordic skiing and alpine resort areas.
A paper published by a Colby University professor of environmental studies found that traditional flouro ski wax left PFAS in the snow and that got into the local water supply. Similar inquiries had been published in Norway and Sweden, and last year a study found PFAS on Austrian ski slopes.
It turns out that the iconic ski lifestyle has the potential to contaminate local water. In response, Park City banned flouro ski wax and initiated a take back program that collected 600 pounds for incineration by the only company that currently can effectively dispose of PFAS, the French environmental conglomerate Veolia.
EWG Indicates several chemicals in Sun Valley’s tap water that should be filtered.
-(Cited in a Consumer Confidence Report from Ketchum published in 2021 and Hailey in 2023)
As awareness develops about the connection between ski wax and forever chemicals, leading ski and snowboard organizations are beginning to enforce bans on the use of fluoro wax. It’s banned now at the Olympics and at the World Cup, and it is also banned by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association as well as collegiate racing associations.
Several states including California, Colorado, Maine, New York, and Vermont have legislation and proposed legislation that bans the manufacturing or sale of goods with PFAS, but the bans are generally limited to food or cosmetics items as well as apparel (Gore-TEX and many waterproof clothing items have it). Colorado approved a ban on the sale of PFAS ski wax that will become effective in 2026, and come 2030, Maine will have the country’s first unilateral ban on the sale of nonessential goods containing forever chemicals.
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s interactive PFAS map that publishes EPA data, no PFAS have been detected in Sun Valley, which is great news. The closest they have been detected in drinking water is in Boise and Shelley as well as nearby military bases.
The most recent Consumer Confidence Report from Ketchum was published in 2021, and Hailey in 2023. Water samples used for those reports were collected in 2018 and 2019. EWG’s data covers 2019-2021 and is the most current data available. EWG indicates several chemicals in Sun Valley’s tap water that should be filtered.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SUN VALLEY
Blaine County’s 2023 drinking water report found no EPA violations. It did show elevated levels of nitrate (from fertilizer runoff), lead, copper, radium, and uranium. Drinking water for Hailey comes from the Big Wood aquifer. The main source is the Indian Creek Spring, but particularly in the summer when demand is high, water also comes from four wells.
“As water flows over the land surface, or as it penetrates through the ground into the aquifer, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals which, in some cases, might be radioactive materials. This water can also pick up biological contaminants residual from the presence of animals or human activity.”
–2021 Consumer Confidence Report
According to local resource KetchumIdaho.org, Ketchum’s municipal water originates from six wells that vary in depth from 35 to 110 feet deep. Five of these wells are located near the Big Wood River and pump water from the Big Wood aquifer. The remaining sixth well is located near Sun Valley Resort and pumps water from the Trail Creek aquifer. The city notes that water pumped from these wells is treated with a light dose of chlorine to sanitize the drinking water against microbial contaminants.
Cory McCaffrey, River Program Director at the Wood River Land Trust, shared the following insight from their ongoing water sampling and research: “The Wood River Land Trust conducts annual macroinvertebrate (aquatic insect) sampling across the watershed to be used as a proxy for water quality. Three years of data suggest that water quality improves as elevation increases (from Magic Reservoir to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area) and land use shifts from developed areas to wilderness.”
Idaho’s drinking water sources include surface water (rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs), and groundwater (springs and wells). According to the 2021 Consumer Confidence Report, “As water flows over the land surface, or as it penetrates through the ground into the aquifer, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals which, in some cases, might be radioactive materials. This water can also pick up biological contaminants residual from the presence of animals or human activity.” The county explains that surface water is usually filtered and disinfected to remove bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, while groundwater is naturally filtered.
According to EWG’s tap water database, there are several carcinogens in Sun Valley’s water including 150x of the health guidelines that EWG sets for arsenic. There are also haloacetic acids (byproducts of chlorinating water), radium, uranium, and trihalomethanes (another byproduct of disinfecting water). Hailey, Bellevue, and Sun Valley’s Water and Sewer District had fewer contaminants but still had several exceeding EWG’s health guidelines.
“The Wood River Land Trust conducts annual macroinvertebrate (aquatic insect) sampling across the watershed to be used as a proxy for water quality. Three years of data suggest that water quality improves as elevation increases (from magic reservoir to the Sawtooth national recreation area) and land use shifts from developed areas to wilderness.”
–Cory McCaffrey, River Program Director, Wood River Land Trust
According to the most recent data, Sun Valley, Ketchum, and Hailey’s water complied with legally mandated health standards. Bellevue’s did as well, except for one quarter during 2019-2021. The EPA suggests filtering the water using reverse osmosis, which will remove most all of the contaminants including others that exist in trace amounts.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE AS A HOMEOWNER
There are several steps homeowners can take to ensure the highest levels of home water quality:
FILTERING WATER USING REVERSE OSMOSIS OR GRANULATED ACTIVATED CARBON.
- Reverse osmosis removes contaminants by forcing water through a semipermeable membrane.
- Any appliance or filtration system must be certified to remove PFAS and kept in accordance to any maintenance plan outlined by the manufacturer.
- If you don’t change out your reverse osmosis or carbon filter on the frequency it’s required, you can inadvertently create a bacterial environment within your household.
- Select Samsung and LG refrigerators are certified to remove PFOS/PFOA, as are several countertop, under-sink, and faucet mounts.
FLUSHING THE LINES OF YOUR VACATION HOME TO BRING IN A FRESH WATER SUPPLY.
- Property managers can do this for home owners while they’re away to keep the water fresh in the house. When the water goes into an unoccupied place, chlorine added into the water to disinfect it dissipates and homeowners can inadvertently create a bacterial environment without even knowing it. If you don’t flush your home, you can compromise the quality of your household water and it can get into all water using appliances.
- If your home’s water hasn’t been used for months, the old water sitting in the pipes can smell, change color, and start growing bacteria. Dishwashers, faucets, toilets, spas, and hot water heaters should be “flushed” with fresh water before use.
–(Regarding trout-friendly yard certification)
“This certification informs community members how you can get involved in improving water quality, conserving water, and mitigating the risks of natural hazards in your backyard.”
–Cece Osborn, Community planning director, Wood River Land Trust
This winter, the Wood River Land Trust Community Planning program is working with partner environmental nonprofits, private businesses, individual homeowners and associations, and local government partners to revamp its Trout Friendly Yard Certification. Cece Osborn, Community Planning Director at the Wood River Land Trust explains, This certification informs community members how you can get involved in improving water quality, conserving water, and mitigating the risks of natural hazards in your backyard.”
ADDITIONAL READING:
LOCAL RESOURCES: ketchumidaho.org
2024 CONSUMER REPORTS ARTICLE:
“How to get PFAS out of your drinking water”
2020 COLBY STUDY:
by Gail L. Carlson finding ski wax contributes to environmental contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
“if you don’t change out your reverse osmosis or carbon filter on the frequency it’s required, you can inadvertently create a bacterial environment
within your household.
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