Important Community Notice: PFAS Contamination Advisory in Montgomery County

I wanted to make you aware of an important public health and environmental advisory recently issued by Montgomery County and the Maryland Department of the Environment regarding elevated levels of PFAS (commonly known as "forever chemicals") detected in a small stream, stormwater pond, and tributary near Great Seneca Highway and Key West Avenue in North Potomac.

As a precaution, residents and their pets are being advised to avoid contact with the affected waterways and to refrain from fishing in the areas covered by the advisory.

County officials have emphasized that drinking water provided by WSSC Water remains safe and continues to meet federal drinking water standards. The contamination has been identified in surface water and is currently under investigation.

Montgomery County is taking several immediate actions, including:

• Posting warning signs and issuing public health advisories in affected areas.

• Offering well testing for private well owners within one mile of the highest sampling results.

• Conducting additional groundwater and soil testing.

• Establishing a multi-agency task force to investigate the source and determine appropriate remediation measures.

  
  

The County will host a public community meeting on Wednesday, June 17, at 7:00 p.m. at DuFief Elementary School (15001 DuFief Drive, North Potomac) to provide additional information and answer questions from residents.

PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals that have been widely used in consumer products since the 1940s. Research has shown that long-term exposure may be associated with certain health risks, making it important that this issue is thoroughly investigated and addressed.

Residents can learn more, view maps of affected areas, and sign up for updates at MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/PFAS.

My office will continue to monitor this situation closely and stay in contact with County and State environmental officials. As more information becomes available, I will share updates with the community.

Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Delegate Teresa S. Woorman

Maryland House of Delegates, District 16