Yes. Here's the contact information for two of the members of the Panel of Experts that spoke at the October 14th, 2025 City Council Meeting, which can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here:

• Matt Maas
  Division Manager
  Public Water Supplies Bureau of Water
  Illinois EPA
  217-786-0784
  Matthew.maas@illinois.gov

• John Scott
  Senior Analytical Chemist
  Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
  217-333-8407
  zhewang@illinois.edu

No, boiling water does not remove PFAS.

Yes, Collinsville water customers have been notified about PFAS.

• Test results of the City's ground water showed levels of PFAS above the "Class 1 Groundwater Quality Standard", which are new standards that were published on April 11th, 2025. The tested levels above the new standards triggered the Right to Know Act (which mandates that notices be provided to the public informing them of important information), and a Public Health Notice was issued via USPS to all City water customers in April 2025.
• Additionally, the City of Collinsville has publicly displayed PFAS testing results since testing began on the City website and in the Water Department's Annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), as well as posting additional PFAS Reports online.
• The Water Department's Chief Operator, Superintendent of Utilities and Public Works Director also led a discussion on PFAS at the June 10th, 2025 City Council Meeting and a follow-up at the September 23rd, 2025 City Council Meeting.
• There was a section in the Fall 2025 City Scoop (which is mailed to all residential water customers and available to read online) discussing PFAS with a QR code linking to the PFAS page on the City's website.
• The City has also posted about PFAS on its social media pages multiple times throughout 2025.
• City leadership has conducted extensive media coverage on KSDK 5, FOX 2 News, BND, St. Louis NPR and the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
• A paper copy of this PFAS FAQ will be included with each water bill that's mailed out starting in mid-October 2025 and through mid-December 2025.

It's worth noting that following the initial Public Health Notice that was mailed/posted in April 2025, the City was not required by the EPA to inform residents of its detected PFAS in any additional manner, even given the elevated PFAS levels that were detected in the summer. All subsequent notifications from the City have been posted in the interest of transparency for its water customers.

PLEASE NOTE: PFAS standards are in their infancy, and so are the testing and treatment methods.

Here is the statement that the School District issued on Thursday, September 25th, 2025:

“Kahok Families,

On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, the City of Collinsville notified the district of water test results from their water department indicating that customers should take action to filter potable (safe for consumption) water.

The test results detected polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in both the City’s untreated raw well water and the finished treated water.

Based on these results, the City of Collinsville recommends that all water customers filter potable water before cooking or drinking. Water may still be safely used for handwashing, bathing, and laundry without filtration.

What does this mean for our schools?

The district is working with its environmental consulting group, J.S. Held, LLC, to evaluate potable water in our schools and to develop a system that addresses PFAS.

While not all of our schools receive water from the City of Collinsville, out of an abundance of caution, the district will follow the recommended course of action for each building as advised by our environmental consultants to ensure a safe environment for our students and staff.

Once a plan is finalized, families will receive follow-up communication and next steps.

Mark B. Skertich EdD
Superintendent”

Please reach out the Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 on Facebook with any further questions.

No. The EPA has identified over 2,700 source-water sites with detectable levels of PFAS in the United States. In Illinois, 50% of public water supplies have detected PFAS, with 17% of public water supplies having detected levels above the new standard.

As of September 23rd, 2025, the EPA and the City of Collinsville recommend all residents filter their tap water before using it for drinking or cooking to reduce their exposure to PFAS. Collinsville water is safe for washing clothes and bathing/showering.

There are certified filters known for removing PFAS (more information available on the EPA's website):

• Granular Activated Carbon
• Reverse Osmosis (RO)
• Anion Exchange

The EPA recommends NSF/ANSI 53 for PFAS reduction and NSF/ANSI 58 for Reverse Osmosis.

Yes! We appreciate the public's help spreading factual information regarding PFAS with others in the Collinsville community. Here's the most up-to-date PFAS FAQ Sheet (dated October 13th, 2025), which you can download, print and share with your friends and family members. Additionally, a paper copy of the FAQ Sheet will be included with each water bill that's mailed out starting in mid-October 2025 and through mid-December 2025.

PFAS refers to a group of man-made chemicals that are spread easily and break down very slowly. They are present throughout the environment – soil, water and air. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) calls them "forever chemicals". High concentrations of and long exposure to PFAS chemicals are linked to health problems in humans.

For potential health impacts, refer to the IEPA's PFAS Webpage by clicking here or the Illinois Department of Public Health's Fact Sheet by clicking here.

Some of the challenges that communities are facing with PFAS are:

• WIDESPREAD CONTAMINATION – PFAS have been found in drinking water in nearly every state.
• HIGH TREATMENT COSTS – Removing PFAS is difficult and costly.
• UNFUNDED MANDATES – There is not enough federal or state funding to cover upgrades.

On September 29th, 2025, the City received guidance from the Madison County Health Department stating that restaurants are not required to address PFAS through any sort of PFAS filtration system. Additionally, Kendrick Soer, Chief Building Official for the City of Collinsville, provided guidance that PFAS filtration systems are not required for commercial businesses in the Illinois State Plumbing Code.

The City of Collinsville continues to actively work with engineering consultants to install specialized PFAS removal systems. As this is a large undertaking/project, the City is hopeful that the new PFAS treatment systems will be operational by early 2029.

• The City of Collinsville is ahead of the curve for meeting the sampling requirements by 2027 from EPA. The testing phase of the new EPA PFAS regulations require only 2 treated water samples be tested before 2027. The City of Collinsville has tested a combined total of 31 samples from its raw and treated water.
• The City of Collinsville entered into a Professional Service Agreement (PSA) with WHKS on March 11th, 2025, to evaluate three treatment methods (Reverse Osmosis, Resin Ion Exchange and Granular Activated Carbon) for PFAS removal at the Water Plant.
• The City is currently in a planning phase, having Project Management and Meetings, Environmental Assessments and Signoffs, Data Collection/Analysis, Evaluate PFAS removal Treatment Methods for equipment, costs, and footprint, then will receive a treatment method summary and written recommendations report from WHKS, which will then be submitted to IEPA for review.
• PROJECTED 2026/2027: The City will enter another PSA agreement with WHKS for Design Phase in late spring or early summer. Estimated time to complete design phase and pilot testing is approximately 1.5 years.
• PROJECTED 2028: Construction start up.
• PROJECTED 2029: Early Spring construction complete. PFAS Treatment process will be online.
• Some of the challenges that the City faces are limited footprint (size and area the new system will require), hydraulic constraints (process flows, head loss, and structural modifications), minimal downtime for bypass and tie-ins, and regulatory and water compliance. The Planning and Design Phase will help reduce some of these challenges.

Additionally, City leadership is currently having active conversations with county, state and federal officials regarding potential assistance for, at a minimum, low-income households.

Collinsville's new Water Treatment Plant began its design phase in or about 2012 and was completed in April of 2019. The EPA started testing our area for PFAS in November of 2020; the plant was already complete and online.

Collinsville’s water comes from the American Bottoms Aquifer, which is recharged by water from the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, we do not know from whence the contamination came specific to our aquifer – but the contaminants came from man-made materials produced in human industry and discharged into the environment from private industries.

Collinsville’s new Water Treatment Plant began its design phase in or about 2012 and was completed in April of 2019. The EPA started testing our area for PFAS in November of 2020; the plant was already complete and online.

PFAS are not a uniquely Collinsville issue. So far, the EPA has identified over 2,700 source-water sites with detectable levels of PFAS in the United States. In Illinois, 50% of public water supplies have detected PFAS, with 17% of public water supplies having detected levels above the new standard.

The EPA recommends NSF/ANSI 53 FOR GRANULAR ACTIVATED CHARCOAL SYSTEMS & NSF/ANSI 58 FOR REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEMS. Per the EPA, "when buying a water filter look on the product labels for certification under NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 58 for PFAS reduction...and check the NSF website to see if product treats the type of PFAS you’re trying to remove." More details about filters can be found on the EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/water-research/identifying-drinking-water-filters-certified-reduce-pfas

When selecting a filter, look for key words like PFAS, PFOA, or PFOS, but keep in mind a product may not list every contaminant it claims to remove on the label. Visit https://info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU to check the product’s full reduction claim.

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For installers and residents looking to choose house filtration systems, refer to the following water statistics for help with installation:

• Average pH: 9.0 - 9.5
• Average Chlorine (free chlorine ion): 0.8 - 1.3
• Average water hardness: 230 mg/L (ppm) or 13.5 grains.

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The EPA recommends NSF/ANSI 53 for PFAS reduction and NSF/ANSI 58 for Reverse Osmosis. When you are selecting a filter, please look for its specifications, usually listed on the back of the packaging (see example below):