Ark River Coalition

PFAS have become an increasing environmental concern across the country, but relatively little information has been available about what these chemicals look like in the waterways running through Sedgwick County. A recent community-led sampling project set out to change that. PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large family of man-made chemicals that have been used since the 1940s because they resist heat, water, oil and stains. They have been used in everything from...

In late 2025, the Arkansas River Coalition completed two rounds of independent testing for PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals," at multiple locations along the Arkansas River in Sedgwick County. The results confirmed that PFAS are present in local surface water, with concentrations and chemical diversity varying significantly by location. Across six samples collected in October and November, PFAS were detected in five of the six locations. Total PFAS concentrations ranged from...

What is PFAS? PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemicals used since the mid-20th century for their water-, oil-,...