The city of Kennewick has sent another notice to water customers after new testing found PFAS, or "forever chemicals," above Washington's action levels in drinking water drawn from Ranney Collector 5, according to NBC Right Now. It's the latest in a string of detections the city has reported since 2022, when lab equipment upgrades first allowed labs to measure smaller traces of the chemicals, Northwest Public Broadcasting reported.
The Tri-City Herald's latest reporting, syndicated via Yahoo News, says the city is now working with an engineering firm to design a treatment system meant to remove PFAS from the water supply ahead of federal deadlines. Kennewick has not released the specific parts-per-trillion readings that triggered this month's notice, and it's unclear whether Ranney Collector 5 has been taken offline or is still blended with other sources while the city works on a fix.
A problem dating back years
This isn't new territory for Kennewick. In April 2025, the city notified customers of PFAS detections and advised that people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or mixing infant formula with tap water should consider an alternative water source, according to the Tri-City Regional Chamber. A separate compound, PFHxS, previously tested at 16 parts per trillion at a Kennewick source — above the state's 10 ppt standard, NWPB reported.
The same chemicals turned up in testing near Columbia Park and, notably, stalled development at Vista Field for months before showing up in the city's drinking water, according to Tri-Cities Business News. That overlap underscores that PFAS contamination in Kennewick isn't confined to one well or one neighborhood — it's a broader groundwater issue the city has been tracking for several years.
The $33 million fix
Kennewick's own PFAS information page says the city completed a water supply analysis in 2024 to figure out the best way to eliminate PFAS, and that treatment is expected to be in place no later than summer 2028 — what the city calls "almost 3 years" ahead of the federal regulatory deadline. Tri-Cities Business News reported the planned filtration plant carries an estimated $33 million price tag and was expected to go out to bid this fall, in a separate report. It isn't clear from available city statements whether that bid timeline has held.
Shifting federal rules
The backdrop here has moved. The EPA finalized its first PFAS drinking water regulation on April 10, 2024, setting limits for six PFAS compounds and a 2029 compliance deadline, according to law firm Stinson. In May 2025, the EPA under the Trump administration narrowed that rule to cover only PFOA and PFOS and pushed compliance back to 2031, Kaplan Kirsch reported. Kennewick's 2028 target would still beat even the original, stricter 2029 deadline.
Residents worried about exposure can find guidance on the Washington Department of Health's PFAS information page, which recommends that pregnant or breastfeeding people and anyone mixing infant formula with tap water consider an alternative source, and notes that specialized filters can reduce PFAS levels, per the Herald's reporting. The city has not yet said how many households are served by water that includes Ranney Collector 5, or whether it plans additional public notices before the treatment plant comes online.
