Are “forever chemicals” in SWFL tap water?

There are roughly a dozen utility services in Southwest Florida’s largest county, many like Cape Coral and Fort Myers treat most of its water using reverse osmosis, which is highly effective at removing many of these forever chemicals [PFAS or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances].

Cape Coral officials tell NBC2 that their last test was in 2018 and will test again for PFAS in 2025 at the direction of the EPA.

Cape Coral Utility Director Jeff Pearson said in a statement: PFAS chemical species can be found in most surface water bodies and in humans as a result of the consumer products that utilize them in the manufacturing process. Cape Coral is very fortunate that we are ahead of the issue and able to provide our residents with some of the cleanest and safest drinking water in the State of Florida.

Lee County Utility officials noted to NBC2 they just started testing this year looking for 29 different substances to be finished by 2025.

The county’s last test in 2013 did not show any PFAS.

Deputy director of Lee County Utilities Paul Flores said in a statement given to NBC2:

To ensure the safety of our drinking water, LCU has implemented various treatment options at four out of our five water plants. These options include Activated Carbon, Ion Exchange, Nano-Filtration, and Reverse Osmosis. These technologies have proven effective in removing PFAs from drinking water. Future plans may include similar treatment options for our fifth plant.