Water in the West Part 3 Partner Website

Part 3:

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT WATER QUALITY IN A SKI TOWN

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.

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.

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WHAT THIS MEANS FOR JACKSON’S ECOSYSTEM

Most of the drinking water in Teton County comes from shallow well sources, drilled less than 100 feet deep into the ground water aquifers and are either located on individual properties, or combined into larger supplies for subdivisions and communities. Jackson’s Clean Water Coalition notes the drinking water aquifer is often just inches below the ground surface. The aquifer is replenished seasonally by surface water sources like rivers, lakes, streams, and snow melt. As water flows over the land and is absorbed in the ground, it may capture or dissolve naturally occurring minerals which, in some cases due to farming, fertilization, and other industrial uses, might include harmful materials. This water also can carry residual biological contaminants from the presence of animals or human activity including waste. While groundwater is naturally filtered over time, these harmful substances may remain. Drinking water supplied throughout the many subdivisions in Jackson is chlorinated and tested to remove bacteria in order to comply with DEQ requirements.

“In our watershed, the surface waters (lakes, rivers, ponds, ditches, wetlands) and groundwater (the aquifer that provides our drinking water) are interconnected,” says Matt Bambach, Water Resources Program Manager, Protect Our Water Jackson Hole. “We live in a gravel bed river floodplain ecosystem, wherein the porous cobble that makes up the valley floor allows water to rapidly mix above and below ground. This connectivity, combined with our high water table and the fact that most of our development happens within the floodplain itself, means that our community’s activities impact both the water resources we can see and those flowing invisibly beneath our feet.”

Unfortunately, the watershed is showing signs of stress from human activity. Several local creeks, home to endemic Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat Trout and other charismatic wildlife habitat, are impaired by excess sediment, bacteria, and nutrients. Visible blooms of nuisance algae are now found in the Snake River every fall. “Residents and visitors alike must understand that good water quality has allowed our community to grow over the last century. We must pay attention and be proactive to adequately protect our health and that of the environment that makes our home special,” Bambach adds.

He explains, “We rely on and are a very important part of the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer, an irreplaceable groundwater resource specially designated as a Sole Source Aquifer by the EPA, which provides drinking water to the majority of Teton County residents. At the same time, downstream communities depend on water quality in Teton County because contamination of this Source Area means contamination downstream, where the aquifer supplies irrigation water used to grow food for millions of Americans and drinking water for over 200,000 Idahoans.”

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KEEPING THE HEADWATERS CLEAN

Tanya Anderson, the Town of Jackson’s ecosystem stewardship administrator, was following a report from 2023 that had detected high levels of PFAS in fresh water fish. Jackson was not included in that study, but other remote headwaters communities close to Yellowstone National Park were. Although there has not yet been a correlation drawn between the fish studies and PFAS in drinking water, Anderson shared a map revealing high concentrations of bioaccumulation in communities around the Great Lakes and East Coast.

“There are some local studies that have shown microplastics in our freshwater systems and in snow, and we know those contaminants are getting to high alpine lakes on remote peaks,” she shares. “While the East Coast or Great Lakes cities have heavy industrial discharge, we don’t have that here in Jackson, so it speaks to all of us as

individuals needing to be aware of the products we’re using that might be putting microplastics and PFAS in our freshwater systems.”

To ensure continued high quality drinking water, the Town of Jackson is taking steps to reduce stormwater pollution since things like drops of oil from vehicles, other petrochemicals, and yard run off could collectively have a large impact on surface waters and could potentially percolate into groundwater. Jackson’s Karns Meadow is a 42 acre wetland with an enclave that provides treatment for almost a third of the town’s stormwater, filtering pollutants before the water drains into Flat Creek. Inline stormwater treatment units also collect water on the street before it enters the streams, and an aggressive street sweeping program during summer months accomplishes the same goal. They also routinely test drinking and groundwater.

“We’re planning on doing some short term surface water testing of PFAS. This is not directly related to drinking water, but it is something we’re concerned about. We want to keep our surface and groundwater pristine, especially being a headwaters community,” Anderson shares. Maintaining cars so they don’t drip oil on the street, picking up pet waste, reducing use of pesticides and herbicides, creating vegetative buffers, and reducing plastics and PFAS use are small individual actions she recommends.

From letting synthetic tech clothing air dry so the microplastics don’t break down in the dryer vents, to joining Trout Friendly Lawn programs, there are easy ways to help keep Jackson’s water clean. Other tips include picking up pet waste, having home septic systems inspected at least once every three years, and using slow release organic landscaping fertilizer. Many local landscapers and gardeners are certified in achieving a Trout Friendly Lawn and can easily help homeowners make positive choices for their landscaping.

Although Jackson does not currently conduct regular PFAS testing, back in 2020, the airport voluntarily tested the ground water in wells on the airfield. Five of thirteen tested positive, but none were used for drinking water. They tested two more drinking water wells in late March 2020, one for residential and one for the control tower. Although the control tower well results came back below the lifetime guide lines for exposure, the residential one revealed some of the highest results thus far.

The airport initiated a phase I of voluntary testing where 32 homes submitted water samples in June 2020. It found that 31 were below the acceptable amount, while one exceeded it. Two more rounds of testing ensued with mixed results of detection and nondetection. The airport offered free water filtration systems to affected homes, and joined in a federal lawsuit filed by South Carolina’s Attorney General alleging that firefighting foam is a “menace to human health.” Defendants include 3M, DuPont, and other chemical companies. In 2023, the airport switched from PFAS containing AAAF firefighting foam to a new one that no longer contains PFAS.

In January 2024, Jackson’s Skinny Skis announced a flouro ski wax takeback program. In partnership with sustainable wax supplier MountainFlow.org, skiers could drop off their old flouro wax and have it disposed of for free. Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling accepts PFAS containing materials as part of its hazardous waste collection services, but it is only open seasonally from April to October, requires an appointment, and residents have to pay a fee, so bringing old flouro wax to a shop participating in a takeback program may be the easiest way for residents to properly dispose of their old ski wax.

In April 2024, the EPA designated PFOS and PFOAs as harmful chemicals, and more testing will come. In the meantime, the EPA suggests filtering water using reverse osmosis, which will remove most of the contaminants, including others that have been reported to exist in trace amounts that other environmental groups, such as the Environmental Working Group (EWG), also are tracking.

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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.

TEST YOUR TAP WATER ANNUALLY.

• Anyone with a private well will want to conduct their own testing, Anderson points out.
• Protect Our Water Jackson Hole offers free well testing events where they provide private well users with a kit that examines E. coli and Total Coliform bacteria, nitrates, and nitrites. More info: https://protectourwater-jh.org/projects/drinking-water-well-testing/.
• Teton County Wyoming Health Department provides bacteriological testing for $20.
• Teton County Conservation District provides more extensive well water test kits through a cost share program for $50.

As Bambach notes, the quality of our water describes the quality of our community function. “We cannot turn a blind eye to water quality problems that threaten our economy and way of life; problems which demonstrate imbalance and drive impetus behind an ethic of stewardship as we develop, enjoy, and share this place.”

Ultimately, Jackson’s water is within EPA legal limits, making it safe to drink. “As a public utility we’re required to test for contaminants,” Anderson says. She notes that bottled water doesn’t have the same testing standard so it’s arguably not as safe. “I absolutely drink the tap water in Jackson because I trust it,” she says. It also tastes really good. “We’re really lucky that our water is delicious. I don’t trust bottled water as much, and I don’t want to drink out of plastic.”

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