Lake Mary exploring PFAS settlement to protect drinking water, residents
The city of Lake Mary is taking steps to protect its residents and drinking water supply by participating in a series of federal settlements tied to widespread chemical contamination.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has initiated rulemaking for drinking water standards, setting Maximum Contaminant Levels for a large group of chemicals commonly referred to as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS substances are persistent synthetic compounds used in a variety of industrial and consumer product applications, including non-stick cookware and firefighting foams.
The presence of PFAS compounds in source water and drinking water is of increasing public concern due to their widespread use and environmental persistence. In 2024, the EPA adopted the first national primary drinking water standards, which establish maximum contaminant level goals for certain PFAS compounds.
Hundreds of pending PFAS lawsuits have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation before the U.S. District Court of South Carolina. Plaintiffs generally allege that aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, containing PFAS contaminated water supplies surrounding military bases, airports and fire training facilities where the foam was used to extinguish liquid fuel fires.
As a public drinking water supplier, the City of Lake Mary — along with all other public water suppliers — is automatically included in the Federal Court Multi-District Litigation known as the Aqueous Film Forming Foams Production Liability Litigation, unless it opts out.
The city has received notice of pending settlements related to four additional companies among the 29 defendants: Amerex Corporation, Archroma U.S. Inc., Carrier Global Corporation and Nation Ford Chemical Company. The city must elect to remain within the settlements or opt out no later than Dec. 22, 2026.
City staff and the City Attorney believe that participating in the settlements is in the city’s best interest, citing anticipated delays and substantial costs associated with opting out.
The City Commission is being asked to pursue civil remedies for potential damages caused by manufacturers of products containing PFAS.
In 2023, reports by The Orlando Sentinel brought to light higher levels of a contaminant called 1,4-dioxane in the water in Seminole County, Lake Mary and Sanford.
The chemical has been linked to a former Siemens manufacturing site on Rinehart Road that closed in the early 2000s. The facility used to make telephone parts.
The City of Lake Mary has since built a new water treatment plant that can better handle the 1,4-dioxane levels in the water. The City of Sanford has also explored a funding agreement to build a new water treatment plant of its own that uses an ultraviolet-light advanced oxidation process to remove dangerous substances from drinking water prior to distribution.
Lake Mary commissioners will hold a discussion on the pending legal settlements during a meeting on Thursday at 7 p.m.