Texas County Declares Disaster After 'Shocking' Water Contamination Test

Officials in Johnson County, Texas, declared a state of disaster on Tuesday after extensive testing revealed dangerous levels of "forever chemicals" in agricultural land, groundwater and animal tissue.

Why It Matters

The disaster declaration comes as concerns rise nationwide about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in products and waterways.

PFAS encompass thousands of human-made chemicals found in everyday items like nonstick cookware, firefighting foams, grease-resistant food wrappers, water-resistant clothing and a multitude of other items. PFAS, known as "forever chemicals" because of the long time they take to break down, can cause harm in large amounts.

What to Know

In a town-hall meeting on Tuesday night, Johnson County environmental crime investigator Dana Ames presented the situation to concerned citizens, calling the test results "absolutely shocking."

County officials called on Abbott to declare an emergency in Johnson County after extensive testing revealed dangerous levels of PFAS throughout the county. Testing revealed that PFAS have contaminated local agricultural land and groundwater, resulting in the "reported deaths of fish and cattle."

The PFAS contamination stems from the application of biosolids used as fertilizer in the area, a county press release said.

Dangerous levels of the chemicals were also found in biosolids from the City of Fort Worth's wastewater treatment plant.

Officials stressed that well water near biosolid application sites had "tested positive for PFAS at levels several hundred times higher than the EPA's [Environmental Protection Agency] safe drinking water limits."

During the breakdown process, PFAS can leach into the soil and the water supply. These chemicals also threaten water when products containing them are dumped onto the ground or into lakes and rivers.

When someone is exposed to high amounts of PFAS, the chemicals can damage the body in various ways.

High levels of certain PFAS can cause heightened cholesterol, decreased vaccine response in children, changes in liver enzymes, increased risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia in pregnant women, decreases in birth weight and an increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer, according to an Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry webpage dedicated to PFAS.

What People Are Saying

Governor Greg Abbott's press secretary Andrew Mahaleris told Newsweek: "The Office of the Governor is looking into whether this qualifies as a disaster under Texas Government Code 418. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has also requested information on the underlying data surrounding testing samples in Johnson County, such as quality of samples and methodology, and to date TCEQ has not received the information."

Johnson County press release about the disaster declaration: "The contamination poses an immediate threat to the county's agricultural sector, drinking water supplies, and public health."

County Judge Christopher Boedeker said in the disaster declaration: "This situation threatens the very foundation of our agricultural community and the safety of our residents. We are taking immediate action to protect our citizens and support our farming community through this crisis."

What Happens Next

The press release from Johnson County said that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality "continues to approve the application of biosolids as fertilizer" in Johnson County, "prompting urgent calls for regulatory intervention."

County officials stressed that it's "essential" for Abbott to issue a disaster declaration in order to access federal aid for Texas agricultural producers affected by PFAS contamination.

Update 2/14/25, 5 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Abbott's press secretary.