COLLINSVILLE — Illinois warned three other Metro East communities months ago that harmful “forever chemicals” had been detected in their municipal water supplies, long before the issue came out publicly at a Collinsville city council meeting last month.

The state’s Environmental Protection Agency in April issued public notices to water system operators in Bethalto, East Alton and Edwardsville, as well as to Collinsville, warning that levels of the chemicals known as PFAS had exceeded new groundwater quality standards, according to state records.

Officials in all four communities either said they told customers or posted notices to alert them. But, according to interviews with community officials, only one — Edwardsville — was adequately prepared to deal with the contaminants.

Officials

See Full Page