PFAS in East Selah drinking water

Join Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller for an update and community feedback session about PFAS contamination in East Selah.

Monday, Aug. 25  |  5:30-8:00 p.m.
Selah Civic Center (216 S 1st St)
Food provided. Children are welcome. Spanish interpretation available.

We know you are frustrated and that you’ve waited years for answers and clean water. We invited key decision makers – the Army and local, state, and federal elected officials – to attend so they can hear directly from you.

Director Sixkiller visited several East Selah residents earlier this summer. After hearing their frustrations, he promised to advocate for them and report back with more time to listen to their needs. We are holding this meeting to follow through on that promise and provide updates on the requests made at the last listening session.

We will open the meeting with a community feedback session led by Director Sixkiller. We hope you will tell us:

• What is going well
• What is not going well
• Anything you want us to know as we work toward solutions with the decision makers in the room

After we hear from you and answer your questions, we’ll share the latest information we have about the situation. This will include report-backs on our recent conversations with the Army, livestock testing by the Washington State Department of Health, and free filters and well testing by the Yakima Health District. A summary of our work is available below.

Can’t make it? Complete this short survey or get in touch to tell us your questions and concerns. We’ll share your responses with the agencies and elected officials who can advocate for resources and take action.

 

Complete the survey:
Scan or visit bit.ly/PFAS-form

Contact us:
Kurt.Walker@ecy.wa.gov
509-934-0386

 

How we got here

Years of training exercises at the Yakima Training Center leached PFAS – a harmful group of “forever chemicals” – into groundwater, leaving nearby drinking water unsafe for people and animals. We have repeatedly asked the Army to share its data, create a thorough cleanup plan, and provide clean drinking water to everyone affected. So far, the Army has not fulfilled these requests. We are working with the Department of Health and Yakima Health District to provide answers, support, and resources where we can.

During the last PFAS community meeting in East Selah, residents asked us to conduct testing, provide health guidance, and ultimately work toward long-term solutions with the Army. You can view notes from the February 2023 and September 2023 meetings online.

Here’s a summary of what we’ve been working on since the last listening session. At the upcoming meeting, we’ll provide more details about what we’ve done and what we’re doing next.

Ecology testing found PFAS in the Yakima River

After the Army refused to sample surface water, we went out to gather our own data. We did two rounds of water sampling in 2024, once in the spring and once in the fall. 

The 19 places we collected samples from included:

• Yakima River at multiple spots upstream and downstream from the training center
• Elton Pond
• Roza Irrigation District canals
• A stock watering pond
• A wetland drainage area

Our results showed PFAS in the water, some at unsafe levels – including in parts of the Yakima River below Harrison Road bridge. While the test results raise concerns about PFAS spreading in the area, it also helps us precisely map the contamination so we know who’s affected and who needs help. 

Free filters and well testing

Between May 2024 and June 2025, the Yakima Health District tested more private wells in and around East Selah to better understand contamination levels in the area. This expanded sampling effort was made possible through funding from the Department of Health and was built on previous PFAS monitoring work that had been done in the community. 

The results helped households determine whether their water was safe to drink and identified those with PFAS levels that didn’t meet drinking water standards. These standards, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are the levels set to protect your health if you drank the water every day for many years. 

To help reduce exposure, the Health District has and continues to provide free, certified under-the-sink filtration systems to homes with PFAS results higher than the drinking water standard.

The Health District is also working with state and federal partners to explore long-term drinking water solutions for East Selah, which includes potentially developing a public water system.

Livestock testing and health guidance

Many East Selah residents asked if it was safe to eat home-raised livestock products from animals drinking contaminated water. To find answers, the Department of Health tested 26 samples of home-raised eggs and meats from eight households in East Selah. The overall conclusion was that home-raised livestock products are a significant way people can be exposed to PFAS from well water, though specific health advice depends on your test results. 

Here’s what the agency advised each household to do based on their test results:

• Of the six households that had eggs tested, five were told to limit their consumption to protect their health.  
• Three of the six were told to significantly restrict their egg consumption to two or fewer eggs per week per person. 
• Of the four households that provided home-raised meat (beef, chicken, turkey, or pork), one was told to restrict consumption of that meat. 

What’s next

State and federal laws require the Army to clean up the PFAS contamination and provide people with bottled or filtered water in the meantime. Under this process, the Army would lead the effort to investigate and clean up, and Ecology would oversee the Army’s work to ensure that both people and the environment are protected.

However, the Army has not followed this process, which includes keeping the public fully informed. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Department of Health and Yakima Health District to get people answers about what’s in their water and what they should do to stay safe. State funding for these efforts is limited and uncertain, unfortunately, because these actions fall outside what the Legislature explicitly directs – and funds – us to do.

We continue to ask the Army to regularly test wells and surface water, share its results, and provide clean drinking water to people with contaminated wells. 

If you live in East Selah and have questions about the spread of PFAS contamination, well testing, health guidance for livestock and gardening, or anything else, please reach out. 

Kurt.Walker@ecy.wa.gov
509-934-0386

We will continue to push for a thorough cleanup response from the Army.