What does it take to get ‘forever chemicals’ out of drinking water? Big new systems that you might have to help pay for.

Tucked away from the sight of passing motorists, a pair of 21-foot-high steel tanks costing $1 million rise off West Butler Avenue in New Britain, Bucks County, as they filter out a toxic class of chemicals known as PFAS.

Expect a lot more costly tanks like these to rise throughout the Philadelphia region. A rule proposed March 14 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could drive water systems to install filtration equipment at thousands of locations nationwide. And, if you’re a customer in a tainted system, you could bear some of the cost.

The tanks owned by Aqua Pennsylvania contain granulated activated carbon (GAC) to filter “forever chemicals” out of drinking water for 6,000 local residents. The water comes from a 405-foot-deep well contaminated by PFAS that are linked to firefighting foams used at former military bases 10 miles away.

The EPA rule would require private and public drinking-water systems to reduce the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, to near zero “after a specified implementation time period.” If finalized later this year, the rule would set national standards for the class of human-made compounds that remain in the environment for thousands of years.

The compounds can accumulate in the human body and are associated with problems with people’s immune and endocrine systems and raising their cholesterol. But the effects are not yet fully known.

The rule would require public water systems to monitor for the chemicals, notify the public if any are found, and reduce the contamination. The Biden administration said the rule would “over time, prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses.” Two substances within the class of compounds, PFOA and PFOS, would have to be reduced to 4 parts per trillion, or nearly nondetectable.

President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill in 2021, which included $10 billion for water companies to deal with PFAS, but it’s not clear how much of that will cover all the treatment facilities that would be needed to comply with the rule.

“This issue got on our screen six years ago,” said Colleen Arnold, president of Aqua, the parent company of Aqua Pennsylvania. “I think we’re one of the first systems where it was found in our water supply. … People trust us with their water and that it’s safe to drink. So we felt we had to do something.”

Philadelphia and water systems throughout the region face the same contamination from a variety of sources.

PFAS are used to make stain repellents, nonstick cookware, firefighting products, and even synthetic turf. Two of the most widely used PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), have been banned but persist in the environment, including at former military sites in Warminster and Willow Grove.

The Navy used 900 acres in Willow Grove for aircraft operations, maintenance, and personnel training until the base closed in 2011. The soil, surface water, sediment, and groundwater were all contaminated by PFAS, which made its way into the Brunswick Formation aquifer. Aqua Pennsylvania taps the aquifer for its Chalfont Well Station No. 8, which serves 6,000 customers.

» READ MORE: PFAS found in 72% of drinking-water samples in Philly’s suburbs

At the time, EPA guidance was to limit some PFAS compounds to 70 parts per trillion.

“We have over 3,000 sources of water and 1,500 water systems across eight states,” Arnold said. “We began measuring every water source.”

Aqua serves drinking water to 3 million customers in eight states. She estimates PFAS could be in 25% of water supplies.

In New Britain, Aqua Pennsylvania chose a granular activated carbon system (GAC) over other removal methods. GAC, the most widely studied and adopted, can remove nearly all PFOA and PFOS. Activated carbon is made from wood, coal, or lignite, a mineral. The substances are highly porous and can absorb synthetic chemicals.

Marc Lucca, president of Aqua Pennsylvania, said the company spread the cost across the company’s entire customer base so local users wouldn’t get hit with a significant increase.

The system, active since 2016, pumps 500,000 gallons a day. Each of the two GAC vessels contain 20,000 pounds of carbon. It costs $60,000 to change the GAC in each vessel annually. Lucca said having available space outside for the vessels, without having to bury them or construct a building to house them, saved money.

A similar system is set to go online in a couple of weeks in North Hills, Lucca said. “But there, we had to put up a building. So we had lighting, occupancy, heating, and other issues that add to the complexity.”

» READ MORE: Six former Phillies died from the same brain cancer. We tested the Vet’s turf and found dangerous chemicals.

The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) awarded a grant to the company for the North Hills project in 2020. And, in October, Aqua received a $5.5 million PENNVEST grant to install an ion exchange treatment at one of its two Hatboro well stations in Horsham Township, Montgomery County.

PENNVEST has budgeted nearly $18 million in money it received this budget cycle from the infrastructure bill for PFSA removal projects.

Brian Rademaekers, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Water Department, said the agency began testing for PFAS in 2019 at the three city drinking-water treatment plants. The Baxter plant draws from the Delaware River. The Queen Lane and Belmont plants draw from the Schuylkill. PWD found average readings ranging from 3.1 to 7.1 parts per trillion — all well below EPA guidance at the time of 70 parts per trillion. But some are above the new rule proposal limits.

PWD doesn’t have cost estimates yet but hopes federal funding will support needed upgrades. Because PWD supplies 1.7 million people in Philadelphia and Lower Bucks County, its PFAS removal system will most likely be large and costly.

“While we are committed to providing safe, clean drinking water, the cost burden should not be passed along to customers through higher water bills,” Rademaekers said. “PFAS producers and manufacturers must be held accountable for the control of this pollution at its sources and for its cleanup throughout the region.”

Philadelphia has sued 3M Co., E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., and the Chemours Co. for alleged PFAS contamination at city properties and drinking-water supplies. Aqua Pennsylvania has filed a similar suit.

In New Jersey, PFAS compounds last year exceeded maximum state levels in 74 water systems. That would increase dramatically under the stricter proposed federal standards.

The Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority was one such system. It discovered in December 2021 that it had PFOS in a well averaging 15 parts per trillion. The well is still unavailable for use as construction continues on a $7 million GAC system to be housed in a 2,856-square-foot building.

» READ MORE: Willingboro officials say their water is safe after a well tainted with ‘forever chemical’ is closed

The WMUA received a federal grant for $3.4 million plus $1 million through the state for the project. The rest is being financed with a loan from the New Jersey Water Bank. Officials said in an email that customers’ rates have not been affected yet, but that could change next year when the WMUA has to start paying back $2.5 million in debt for the system.

“Based on conditions at the time, this could have an impact on rates,” the email said, noting that, “if EPA finalizes the rule as proposed, it could impact two additional well treatment plants in our system.”

The WMUA noted that grants are limited and that unless Congress appropriates more money, there will be “more and more candidates applying … for the same dwindling pool of money.”