Membership, President's Message
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Welcome!

WIWSA

Welcome to Whidbey Island Water Systems Association, a resource for all who drink water on Whidbey Island! Our members are Municipal, Group A, and Group B water systems, private well owners, and the operators, engineers, and others who serve those water systems.  Our quarterly member meeting are currently held via Zoom. The meeting invitation will be sent via our email list only. You must be a subscriber to the email list to receive the invitation email. Click here to subscribe! Continue reading Welcome!

PFAS

‘I don’t want to live like this anymore’: East Selah families still fighting for access to clean water amid PFAS well contamination

John Lovie

EAST SELAH, Wash. — East Selah resident Brandi Hyatt has been unable to use the water in her home near the Yakima Training Center for a year due to high levels of a group of dangerous “forever chemicals” called PFAS, found in their wells.

Her family has been living off of bottled water for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth and washing hands and has been showering at the local YMCA, concerned about the toxic effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on human health.

“It’s stressful. It’s less than ideal,” Hyatt said. “I don’t want to live like this anymore.” Continue reading ‘I don’t want to live like this anymore’: East Selah families still fighting for access to clean water amid PFAS well contamination

PFAS

Local and state officials hear from Selah residents affected by drinking water contamination

John Lovie

Selah residents affected by the groundwater contamination near the Yakima Training Center spent Thursday night speaking with local and state health and environmental officials about their concerns over the U.S. Army’s handling of cleanup efforts. Continue reading Local and state officials hear from Selah residents affected by drinking water contamination

Ecology, PFAS

DRAFT Guidance for Investigating and
Remediating PFAS Contamination in
Washington State

John Lovie

You’re invited to review and comment on our draft cleanup guidance for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance contamination and cleanup.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are collectively known as PFAS. This group comprises thousands of unique synthetic organic chemicals that are extremely stable and persistent. Continue reading DRAFT Guidance for Investigating and
Remediating PFAS Contamination in
Washington State

Drought, Seattle Times

Skipped showers, paper plates: An Arizona suburb’s water is cut off

John Lovie

RIO VERDE, Ariz. — Joe McCue thought he had found a desert paradise when he bought one of the new stucco houses sprouting in the granite foothills of Rio Verde, Arizona. There were good schools, mountain views and cactus-spangled hiking trails out the back door.

Then the water got cut off. Continue reading Skipped showers, paper plates: An Arizona suburb’s water is cut off

LA Times, Sea Level Rise

New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater

John Lovie

Amid dramatic ocean swells and drenching atmospheric rivers, a new report lays bare a hidden aspect of sea level rise that has been exacerbating flooding in the Bay Area.

The report, which was released Tuesday, maps areas that could flood from groundwater hovering just a few feet, or even inches below ground. This layer of water gets pushed upward as denser water from the ocean moves inland from rising tides. On its way up, even before the water breaks the surface, it can seep into the cracks of basements, infiltrate plumbing, or, even more insidiously, re-mobilize toxic chemicals buried underground. Continue reading New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater