Three Borders. PFAS Pollution: A Battery of Measures in the Pipes of the Saint-Louis Urban Area

"We can't say that we've reasonably done nothing for 18 months," said Jean-Marc Deichtmann on Wednesday, May 14, during a lively community council meeting largely devoted to PFAS. Elected officials in the Saint-Louis metropolitan area were informed at the end of 2023 of the presence of these eternal pollutants in several catchment wells, which supply drinking water to eleven municipalities in the metropolitan area (Bartenheim, Blotzheim, Buschwiller, Hégenheim, Hésingue, Huningue, Kembs, Neuwiller, Rosenau, Saint-Louis, and Village-Neuf). A large part of the groundwater pollution is due to the firefighting foams used, until their ban in 2017, on the EuroAirport airport platform.

"The most polluted well, the one at the airport, was closed in November 2023. There was increased monitoring, regular water analysis, health advisories from the High Council for Public Health, a ministerial instruction and an opinion from the Grand Est Regional Health Agency... Today, we have a concrete, clear and precise plan," continues the president of the agglomeration. He is also referring to the decree of the Haut-Rhin prefecture , which came into force on May 5 – and will remain in effect until the end of 2025 – restricting the use of tap water to people defined as "sensitive" in these eleven municipalities: pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants up to 2 years old and immunocompromised people.

Thierry Litzler, vice-president of Saint-Louis Agglomeration, who is responsible for water, clarified: "Residents of the other 29 municipalities are not affected by these measures. The reports certify that there are no traces of PFAS in their water readings, this has been confirmed by the Regional Health Agency. And the water we sell to the Sundgau community of municipalities and to Mulhouse Alsace Agglomeration comes from distribution sites that are not impacted by these PFAS."

Jean-Marc Deichtmann also referred to the implementation of mobile water treatment units at the Bartenheim, Hésingue, and Saint-Louis catchment wells, one of the resolutions proposed to the community council this Wednesday evening. "The installation of these units must be done as quickly as possible," commented Thierry Litzler. Given the need to restore quality drinking water distribution to local users, the urban area will resort to the provisions of the Public Procurement Code, allowing for the conclusion of a contract without prior advertising or competition.

"Our service provider, Veolia [ selected as the public service delegate for water for the next twelve years ] will then be able to transport the mobile treatment units to the affected sites, between October and December 2025." At the same time, treatment stations dedicated to the elimination of PFAS will be built on the three sites, "these should be operational by mid-2027," says the president of Saint-Louis agglo.

These mobile water treatment units will operate with granular activated carbon. "This technical solution has been proven to work. These carbons can be regenerated, but only once," continues Thierry Litzler. "Then they are burned at 1,200 degrees, thus ensuring that there are no more PFAS molecules on the carbon membrane." Why didn't the urban area choose reverse osmosis? "In terms of a solution, it would be the Rolls-Royce. But like a Rolls-Royce, it pollutes and is an environmental waste, which costs more in energy," observes the Deputy Vice President for Water. "We are taking this matter seriously because we want our water to meet standards before the end of 2025. Although we don't know for how many years or decades these PFAS have been present in the water, as no research has been conducted on the subject." "What is certain is that they did not appear in 2023," considers Jean-Marc Deichtmann.

Patrick Striby expressed his astonishment at length. "What have you done since you were informed at the end of 2023?" the community councilor asked. "For 18 months, no action was taken to reduce this significant quantity of PFAS." "I don't know everything. Time hasn't been wasted. It wasn't up to the agglomeration to say we were going to set up mobile treatment units," President Deichtmann replied. "What difference will six months or 24 months make compared to thirty years? If the danger were as significant as you seem to want to say, while we are in a country where there are still institutions, if we are allowed to poison ourselves with this water, it's inconsistent."

Returning to the charge, Patrick Striby also questions the "urgent pre-reservation of mobile treatment units" before mid-January 2024. "It's very simple. There was a request for analyses to see how to treat this pollution, with samples. We had to conduct tests to determine whether it was appropriate to use activated carbon or reverse osmosis. Our delegate took care of this, as the analyses were carried out on limited quantities of water," counters Jean-Marc Deichtmann.

Other voices are rising, taking a step back from these eternal pollutants. Stéphane Rodde, mayor of Ranspach-le-Haut: "We are facing a flood of information showing that the concentration of PFAS is not only the result of water. I got tested. I am not affected by polluted water, and yet I have levels in my blood that are two and a half times higher than the levels found in the blood of residents living near EuroAirport ." For him, "it remains impossible to draw conclusions as to the origin of the PFAS pollution to which the population is subjected."

"This matter is about our relationship with living things," adds Philippe Knibiely, the urban area's vice-president responsible for the environment, climate, and energy. "Yes, we could have been informed sooner. Our responsibility today is to find solutions and implement these treatment solutions as quickly as possible. My advice to the public: start paying attention to your kitchen utensils, pizza boxes, ski wax, cosmetics, anything that retains water... Let's change our practices, let's change our lifestyles!"

The community council, which will meet again on June 25, approved the signing of a public contract for the supply and implementation of mobile PFAS treatment units.