Camas-Washougal logo tag

Camas well tainted by PFAS to return to service

Hearings examiner to review city's plans for treatment facility at Well 13 site

By
timestamp icon
category icon Camas, Environment, Government, News
A notice of proposed development sign stands on the city of Camas’ Well 13 property off Southeast Cramer Lane on Thursday, May 8, 2025. A Camas hearings examiner will oversee a public hearing at 5 p.m. May 29 at Camas City Hall to consider the city’s plan to build a treatment facility on the Well 13 site to remove toxic PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” from the public drinking water well. (Kelly Moyer/The Columbian)

A notice of proposed development sign stands on the city of Camas’ Well 13 property off Southeast Cramer Lane on Thursday, May 8, 2025. A Camas hearings examiner will oversee a public hearing at 5 p.m. May 29 at Camas City Hall to consider the city’s plan to build a treatment facility on the Well 13 site to remove toxic PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” from the public drinking water well. (Kelly Moyer/The Columbian)

The city of Camas’ Well 13 site, left, is located a few blocks southeast of Louis Bloch Park in a mostly residential neighborhood. The city hopes to build an $11 million treatment facility at the site to help remove toxic PFAS chemicals found in the public drinking water well at levels exceeding state and federal limits. (Kelly Moyer/The Columbian)

The city of Camas’ Well 13 site, left, is located a few blocks southeast of Louis Bloch Park in a mostly residential neighborhood. The city hopes to build an $11 million treatment facility at the site to help remove toxic PFAS chemicals found in the public drinking water well at levels exceeding state and federal limits. (Kelly Moyer/The Columbian)

To meet increased water demand during the summer months, the city of Camas plans to bring Well 13 back online this week, even though it has the city’s highest levels of toxic “forever chemicals.”

“The recent increase in temperatures across the area has required all city wells to be in production,” according to the city’s website, including Well 13, the city’s most productive drinking water source.

Thank you for reading the Post-Record.

Subscribe now to get unlimited access.

Already a subscriber? Sign in right arrow icon

Related Stories

An emerald ash borer. The invasive and destructive pest has been spotted in Vancouver, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. (Contributed photo) First emerald ash borer seen in Washington
August 27, 2026 Emily Jiang, a rising Camas High School senior, designed and built a floating island — a 4-by-7-foot raft planted with native wetland species — to help combat toxic blue-green algae blooms in Fallen Leaf Lake. (Contributed by Emily Jiang) Camas student’s project aims to tackle algae bloom in Fallen Leaf Lake
August 6, 2026 Although native to the Pacific Northwest, ghost shrimp have devastated hundreds of acres of oyster beds in Willapa Bay. The shrimp burrow into the sediment, turning firm sand into mud, leaving oysters living in the sand to sink down and suffocate. University of Washington scientist Jennifer Ruesink recently released her research findings for a new method of reducing ghost shrimp numbers in the bay that combines vibration and pressure. (Contributed by Washington Department of Ecology) Research shakes up oyster farming: UW professor strives to combat ghost shrimp using vibration, compaction
May 28, 2026