Putting a Pin in a PFAS Panic: Crisis Communications with the Press and the Public

As PFAS discoveries become more and more prevalent across the country, water utilities, industry organizations, state regulators, and the EPA are struggling with how to properly handle the new findings in drinking water, wastewater discharges, and biosolids. While there is a lot we don't know about health and environmental impacts from the vast majority of these chemicals, advances in water testing are vastly outpacing the regulatory process. As a result, PFAS is making news before even some states are ready to communicate what the findings mean to our citizens. Consumer Reports just put in its "Guide to Safe Drinking Water" advocacy for a new, assumption-based drinking water "standard" of 1 ppt. The push for this "standard" makes it more certain that, when discoveries are made, panic can set in and a lack of experience and planning can create an environment for errors that can harm a city or utility's entire reputation - and its biosolids programs - at risk for years to come. WaterPIO has served as an independent source of information on how to handle PFAS discoveries, helping multiple utilities, elected officials, activists, reporters, editors, and customers in paid and unpaid capacities. Because of our experience, we serve on several utility PFAS action teams and get called in to help state water and wastewater organizations with their PFAS messaging when discoveries are made. In February 2020, the State of Georgia shut down Summerville, GA's water supply and biosolids program after finding the drinking water was above the EPA's "lifetime health advisory" for PFAS. All of the city's restaurants were closed and the State's Vet stated that pets should not drink the water. Water was trucked in, and pictures of the lines were sent out across the country. Georgia Rural Water brought us in to stand up and explain the matter for city officials who had to face a public that, thanks to the state, felt the lives were at risk if they drank the water. We arrived at their offices on a Monday morning, met with the Mayor and staff, and walked through our response, which was focused on providing perspective on what an EPA lifetime health advisory meant and who actually needed to watch their water intake. We stood in front of the city council and the public for over an hour and answered questions for an hour more. A reporter put our presentation live on Facebook. We did NOT minimize the public's concerns; we simply provided respectful perspective. We then addressed negative press questions that night and throughout the next day with the same information and perspective approach. As a result of the press and public effort, combined with Georgia Rural Water's state work, the ban on restaurants was lifted and the public was told that pets could drink the water Wednesday morning, just 48 hours after our arrival. The presentation will go over the methods and messages we used to restore a level of confidence in the city's drinking water that enabled it to operate again. We will talk candidly about the difficult moments, and there were several, especially with the press. Regarding the Consumer Reports story, we at WaterPIO pushed back on the new 1 ppt "standard" when it was first announced in 2019. Our response to Dr. Linda Birnbaum after her announcement required the NIEHS to put out a clarifying statement that admitted the flaws in her new "standard." Because of this previous work, we were able to quickly respond to the story and point out the glaring weaknesses in the Consumer Reports story, which we shared with our clients and the industry as a whole. We will also share them during our presentation how we dissected the Consumer Reports story. We pointed out:
- How the authors did not speak to a single water/wastewater professional for their coverage.
- How 1 ppt is a non-detect that could lead every utility to be accused of having PFAS in its services if it doesn’t.
- How, in situations where more than 1 ppt is found, it is likely impossible to meet a 1ppt standard because of the difficult to remove all PFAS from water.
- How if 1 ppt should be the new "standard", then its PFAS's ubiquity in our consumer products must be addressed first, with immediate consumer product bans on water/stain resistant clothing, carpet, furniture, pots and pans, dental floss, and even cake mix. The Environmental Working Group - which pushed for 1 ppt in the Consumer Reports piece, doesn't dare target a wide range of consumer goods; they know that is the fastest way to lose the argument. So, they come after us in water and wastewater. Therefore, we need to get out front and communicate about now, before a crisis hits, or news coverage tars our work. The presentation will discuss the proactive groundwork that can be carried out before a PFAS discovery is made so the public reaction will be more understanding, especially about the fact our industry is not blame for the fact that PFAS is in our water, wastewater, and biosolids.