Dear Delegates,
My name is Jacqueline Goodrum, and I write today to urge you to support HB2300. As an environmental attorney and Albemarle County resident, I am concerned about the potential presence of toxic PFAS chemicals in my drinking water.
My family owns a 20 acre parcel in rural, southern Albemarle County and we rely on well water for our drinking water. Presently, there is no requirement (from EPA or DEQ or VDH) that private wells be tested for PFAS; PFAS testing is not included in our annual water testing unless we pay extra for it.
We are not alone in wondering what toxic chemicals could be in our drinking water that we don't know about. According to a study by the Center for Progressive Reform, 1.7 million Virginians rely on private well systems as their drinking water source. 1.7 million Virginians, my family included, are excluded from current water quality testing regimes that aim to protect public health. HB2300 seeks to remedy this problem.
First, HB2300 aims to make PFAS testing and treatment for private wells accessible by creating a fund to help rural landowners cover the cost of testing and treatment if contamination is found. (Delegate Campbell has offered Amendment 280#1h to provide
$2.0 million in the 2026 budget for this fund.) Moreover, by providing for PFAS testing for private wells, HB2300 helps collect important data on the extent of PFAS contamination across all drinking water sources, public and private, in Virginia. For these reasons, I urge you to support HB2300. Thank you.
Dear Delegates, My name is Jacqueline Goodrum, and I write today to urge you to support HB2300. As an environmental attorney and Albemarle County resident, I am concerned about the potential presence of toxic PFAS chemicals in my drinking water. My family owns a 20 acre parcel in rural, southern Albemarle County and we rely on well water for our drinking water. Presently, there is no requirement (from EPA or DEQ or VDH) that private wells be tested for PFAS; PFAS testing is not included in our annual water testing unless we pay extra for it. We are not alone in wondering what toxic chemicals could be in our drinking water that we don't know about. According to a study by the Center for Progressive Reform, 1.7 million Virginians rely on private well systems as their drinking water source. 1.7 million Virginians, my family included, are excluded from current water quality testing regimes that aim to protect public health. HB2300 seeks to remedy this problem. First, HB2300 aims to make PFAS testing and treatment for private wells accessible by creating a fund to help rural landowners cover the cost of testing and treatment if contamination is found. (Delegate Campbell has offered Amendment 280#1h to provide $2.0 million in the 2026 budget for this fund.) Moreover, by providing for PFAS testing for private wells, HB2300 helps collect important data on the extent of PFAS contamination across all drinking water sources, public and private, in Virginia. For these reasons, I urge you to support HB2300. Thank you.