Mat-Su moves to clean up 'forever chemicals' in its groundwater

The Mat-Su Borough is moving to spend $400,000 cleaning up "forever chemicals" contaminating groundwater — a problem that surfaced this spring when PFAS turned up near a Wasilla elementary school.

The Assembly takes up the funding July 21. The money comes from the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area's own reserves, so it won't raise taxes, and a companion measure would let the Assembly sign off on the cleanup plan before work begins. The stakes fall hardest on area residents who draw their water from private wells.

The source is the borough's own firefighting past. PFAS in Alaska trace mostly to the firefighting foam once used at stations and training sites — foam the Mat-Su's fire services stopped using in 2017 under a statewide restriction.

But the chemicals earn their "forever" nickname: they break down extremely slowly and accumulate in people, animals, and the environment over time. The contamination became public in late March, when state regulators flagged PFAS in groundwater near Cottonwood Creek Elementary, caught through routine sampling under federal rules that took effect in 2024. The borough has since said it will test other areas where the chemicals may have spread.

Residents can weigh in at a public hearing set for the Aug. 4 meeting in Palmer.