The El Dorado Hills Fire Department has temporarily shut down Station 91 in the Latrobe community after elevated levels of PFAS were found in a nearby groundwater well.

The fire board voted 4-0 on Sept. 17 to authorize an emergency operations plan to keep serving the area while the station remains closed. One board member was absent.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals sometimes called "forever chemicals" because they resist breaking down in the environment and the human body. The contamination was detected in a well on a property neighboring the station, according to board meeting minutes published in the Oct. 15 board packet.

Deputy Chief Dustin Hall briefed the board on the PFAS test results, the station closure and the department's plans for employee testing and a reopening timeline. Board Vice President Timothy J. White made the motion to authorize the emergency plan, and Director Greg Durante seconded it.

The department said in a public notice that Engine 91 has been relocated as a precaution. Fire and emergency medical response to Latrobe residents continues from Station 87 in the El Dorado Hills Business Park and through the department's regional mutual-aid system.

The Latrobe community became part of the El Dorado Hills Fire Department's service area in 2014 when the Latrobe Fire Protection District was annexed into the department.

The department said it plans to install a water treatment and filtration system to lower PFAS concentrations before returning the station to normal use. No timeline for the installation or reopening has been announced.

The exact PFAS levels detected and whether the contaminated well supplies the station's own water have not been disclosed.

Fire Chief Mike Lilienthal and legal counsel Mike Cook were also present at the Sept. 17 meeting, which was chaired by White.

The board is scheduled to take up the matter again at its Thursday, Oct. 15, meeting at 1050 Wilson Blvd. in El Dorado Hills. Open session begins at 6 p.m., and the Station 91 groundwater update appears as Old Business Item XV.B on the agenda. The meeting is also accessible via Zoom (Webinar ID: 875 0317 6283, Passcode: 809315).

Residents with questions about private-well testing, PFAS results or treatment options should contact their local environmental health or water-quality agency. The El Dorado Hills Fire Department can be reached at 916-933-6623.