LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - During Public Comment at the Nov. 20 Live Oak City Council meeting, resident and former Councilmember J.R. Thiara asked that Item 3 be pulled from the Consent Calendar for a public discussion. Item 3 was an official Notification of Detection of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) above the required notification level in Well 2A. 

Another resident, Cruz Mora, also spoke about Item 3, stating that PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment or in our bodies. He suggested that the well with the detected chemicals should be taken off-line until a solution can be found. 

Councilmember Lakhvir Ghag requested the removal of Item 3 from the Consent Calendar for discussion.   

Public Works Director Jeff Nelson introduced the item, explaining that PFAS are “ubiquitous” in the environment now, since they are found in many common items such as non-stick pans, furniture and fast food wrappers. 

City staff collected water samples for testing in June 2023 and no PFAS were detected at that time. In August 2024, samples were taken by the State Water Resources Control Board, and the recent results showed one type of PFAS at 3.3 nanograms per liter in Well 2A, which is above the required notification level of 3.0 nanograms. However, Nelson said the state does not require the city to take any action at this time, since the required response level is 20 nanograms per liter, six times higher than the current level. 

To provide a sense of scale, Nelson stated that the PFAS were detected at three parts per trillion, which would be equivalent to 3 seconds out of 31,700 years, or 3 inches out of 15.7 million miles.

“I’m not trying to dismiss it or say it’s not something people should be alarmed about,” said Nelson, “but the levels are low and below the threshold where the state would require any action.” And he added that one of the actions recommended with higher levels of detection is dilution with other water sources and Well 2A is already blended with other sources before distribution. 

Nelson said current statistics show that since PFAS are so prevalent in the environment, cross contamination during the sampling process is common. So city staff will take more samples and send them to the testing laboratory for analysis. Nelson said there is a long wait list for testing, so results probably can’t be expected until January. 

Councilmember Ghag asked if Well 2A was the only one where PFAS was detected, and Nelson said two other wells showed even lower levels of PFAS, which were below the level requiring notification. 

“I don’t really feel comfortable with what’s going on. I think this is a real, serious issue and we need to approach this properly and take proper action,” Ghag said.

Water is essential to life, Ghag said, and “that’ s how we survive.”

Ghag will not be returning to City Council for another term and this was likely his last meeting, so he urged his fellow councilmembers to “please take this issue seriously and please take the proper action in the future.”

Nelson assured Ghag that staff was “taking it seriously” and moving forward with taking their own water samples.

“I’m not trying to dismiss this. … Of course, no one wants PFAS in their water” or any kind of chemicals or contaminates. 

Vice-Mayor Nancy Santana said she’s looking forward to getting the new test results and “finding a solution to not have it at all in our water.”

Mayor Ashley Hernandez said that PFAS are found in makeup, fabrics, cleaning products and many common items.

“It’s concerning that we’re all coming in contact with this stuff that can never be taken out of our bodies. It makes you a little more aware,” Hernandez said.

It would be worthwhile to ensure that the city’s drinking water isn’t yet another source for PFAS, Hernandez said, and suggested looking into grants or partnerships that would facilitate full removal of PFAS from the wells. She agreed that it might be a good idea to temporarily remove the affected wells from the system: “At least to give residents some assurance. I know these are not high detectable levels but maybe that’s something we could show them that we’re trying to be proactive.” 

Nelson said that the city’s water system barely meets demand as it is, so removing the well might not be feasible. And with the detection levels well below the state’s required action levels, Nelson said, “I don’t feel it warrants that at this time.” 

Mayor Hernandez said that regardless of the state’s level of concern, it does affect people in the community and it would be best to be “more proactive than reactive.”

During Public Comment, J.R. Thiara thanked City Council for their “well-founded concerns,” since any level of toxins can damage the body over time. He agreed that PFAS are ubiquitous in the environment because “corporate America is responsible for telling us that’s OK.” But Thiara said there are no acceptable levels of PFAS and complete non-detection should be the goal. 

The next meeting of the Live Oak City Council is scheduled for Dec. 4. Typically, that’s when newly-elected councilmembers would be sworn in but Interim City Manager Rick Crabtree said the county clerk might not have the election results certified by that time. Council consensus was to wait and see whether the results are ready on Dec. 4, and if not, then they will decide whether to hold a special meeting or conduct the swearing in at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 18.