It gives the school district 60 days to comply with Safe Water Drinking Act
By Brian Soergel
Edmondseditor@yourbeacon.net
May 28, 2025
Link to Edmonds Beacon article
Olympic View Water and Sewer District (OVWSD) has issued a notice of intent to sue the Edmonds School District to protect the drinking water aquifer that is threatened by PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) pollution at the Madrona K-8. This legal action cites violations of environmental laws and follows the school district’s inaction in addressing the pollution, said OVWSD general manager Bob Danson in a news release.
“We have received and reviewed the Olympic View Water and Sewer District’s notice regarding PFAS at the Madrona K-8 School,” the school district said in a statement. “The Edmonds School District disagrees with many of the allegations outlined in the notice, including any assertion that the District is in violation of clean water standards.”
A citizen suit allows individuals or entities to sue for the enforcement of environmental laws when they think corporations and government bodies fail to comply.
The notice gives the school district 60 days to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Washington State’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) well program. If compliance is not achieved within this period, OVWSD intends to file a formal lawsuit under the Citizen Suit provisions.
“The Edmonds School District has known about the PFAS issue at Madrona School since 2023, but has failed to take adequate measures to prevent these contaminants from entering the school’s UIC wells,” Danson said. “Our efforts to work collaboratively with the district were met with continued resistance, leaving us no choice but to pursue legal action to protect the public’s drinking water.”
The school district said it is working to resolve the issue.
“While some stormwater samples taken at the site have indicated elevated levels of PFAS, it is important to clarify that no samples show any impact to groundwater – let alone drinking water sources,” the school district said.
“The district has been actively addressing the PFAS concerns identified in a limited area of soil, which appears to have been introduced during school construction. Since fall 2024, we have been conducting additional environmental sampling under the direction of the Washington State Department of Ecology.
“Following Ecology’s guidance, we plan to take further corrective steps this summer – after the school year concludes – including removing the likely source of PFAS contamination from the site.
“We remain committed to fully complying with Ecology’s direction, maintaining transparency, and sharing all sampling data and reports with Olympic View Water and Sewer District throughout this process.” Danson said OVWSD’s drinking water remains safe, as has been confirmed by testing. However, PFAS contamination at Madrona School, found in soil and stormwater runoff, poses a future risk to the district’s water source, OVWDS said.
The Madrona School Replacement Project was completed by the Edmonds School District in and around 2018. It included the installation of a new stormwater management system, which collects water at catch basins and then conveys this stormwater to 16 onsite UIC wells.
The OVWSD opposed the installation of the UIC wells because Madrona’s stormwater wells drain into the ground above the Deer Creek aquifer and risks contaminating the water supply.
The Edmonds School District installed the UIC wells over OVWSD’s objection, Danson said. PFAS, referred to as “forever chemicals,” a large family of chemicals used since the 1950s, are found in various consumer products, including food packaging, outdoor clothing, and non-stick cookware. These chemicals are also present in certain firefighting foams used by the U.S. military, airports, and by local fire departments. PFAS are linked to significant health risks, including developmental issues in children, immune system impacts, and increased cancer risks.
OVWSD first identified unsafe PFAS levels in stormwater samples from the Madrona School site in 2022. OVWSD took prompt action to address the issue with the Edmonds School District and Washington State Department of Ecology. OVWSD has continued to press for prompt action to remediate the contamination.
The school district’s subsequent sampling in 2023 and 2024 continued to show unsafe PFAS concentrations. Communications from the Washington Department of Ecology in 2024 to investigate the source of the PFAS contamination has resulted in limited action by the school and has left the problem unresolved, Danson said.
In 2024, further soil sampling within Madrona School’s bioretention planters – which collect stormwater before directing it to UIC wells – further revealed unsafe PFAS concentrations in the soil. The Department of Ecology has since issued a corrective action request, recommending soil removal and replacement, additional sampling, and “first flush” monitoring in fall 2025. Comprehensive testing, including groundwater testing, is essential to fully identify the PFAS problem and its source at Madrona School, Danson said.
“The Edmonds School District must take immediate steps to comply with state and federal regulations designed to protect public health and drinking water.”