When the Whispering Pines Cooperative, a 55-manufactured-home, resident-owned community on North Whidbey, took advantage of the Department of Health’s initial free water testing, they discovered two types of polyfluoroalkyl substance, or PFAS, contamination.

According to the Department of Health, the Whispering Pines well tested positive for two PFAS chemicals — 5 parts per trillion of PFOS, and 4.3 parts per trillion of PFOA. Three months ago, the Biden administration put a strict limit of 4 parts per trillion for both types of the so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water, which may help communities on Whidbey limit their exposure.

At the time at which Whispering Pines staff took the original test, the state action level was — and still is — 15 parts per trillion for PFOS and 10 parts per trillion for PFOA. Because the community’s contamination was well beneath the state action level, the operations manager, Scott Hager, didn’t think anything of it, he said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the PFAS state action level does not equate to safety. The lifetime health advisory levels which, as an agency is unable to enforce, are 0.02 parts per trillion for PFOS and 0.004 parts per trillion for PFOA, around 1,000 times less than what Whispering Pines residents are currently drinking.

PFAS may lead to increased cholesterol levels, changes in liver enzymes, decreased vaccine response in children, increased risk of high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, decreases in infant birth weights and increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the federal Centers for Disease Control.

While the cause of the Whispering Pines contamination is officially unknown, PFAS is found in firefighting foam used by the Navy, and the mobile home cooperative is across the street from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, where some wells have seen contamination of over 70 parts per trillion.

Setting a federal maximum contamination level and meeting the criteria of such a level does not mean federal resources are immediately coming to the rescue. The state has two years to adopt the new federal standard, and even then, it is unclear exactly what remediation will be provided to Whispering Pines.

The operations manager prior to Hager originally tested the water because the Department of Health offered to pay for it, Hager said. Since the tests returned with PFAS contamination, though it was below the state action level at the time, the state required follow-up tests on the cooperative’s dime.

The tests are expensive, Hager said, though he didn’t want to disclose exactly how much. Similar cooperatives have reported $400 quarterly tests totaling up to $2,000 annually.

The extra cost is a burden, Hager said, but it’s no different than any other state cost.

“We’ll charge you more for that,” Hager said, speaking on behalf of the state, “but no, we’re not going to give you any more money or give you a discount on nothing, no, but we’re going to create something, so you have to pay more.”

While the Department of Health received funding from the federal government for the initial tests for small or disadvantaged water systems, this funding cannot be used for the quarterly follow-up monitoring, though it is a requirement, said Mike Means, capacity development and policy manager of the health department’s office of drinking water.

After water at Hannah Heights, a small neighborhood on San Juan Island, was reported in 2023 to have PFAS contamination 164 times greater than the state action level, they received $2.2 million in 2024 from the state Legislature to drill a new well. While some type of remediation is to be expected for Whispering Pines once the new mandate is officially adopted, it is unclear what exactly that will look like at this time.

The community’s best option, Means said, is to apply for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which makes funds available to drinking water systems to pay for infrastructure improvements. The program is funded through both federal and state money.

Much of the prevalence of PFAS remains unknown, and mandates and support will change as time goes on. The Legislature is continuing to study the scope of the challenge and how support might be needed, Means said. Currently, the Department of Ecology is developing a multiyear spending plan to address PFAS in Washington, which is due to the Legislature next year.

While the Department of Health awaits the final decision, they are working with the governor’s office to help develop plans and funding strategies to further help communities, Means said.

Kara Kostanich, spokesperson for the Department of Health, didn’t respond to requests for comment.