When Leah Kossak and Nate Cressman bought their first home earlier this year, things could not have seemed better — they bought the home on Cala Avenue in March and began working towards a June move-in.

“It had everything we wanted,” Kossak, who works for the Aquidneck Island Land Trust, said. “It is right by the trails. I like to walk my dog down there all the time. The yard is the best part by far.”

But it didn’t take long for the concerns to appear. While they were moving into their new home, they received a letter from DEM regarding PFAS levels in the area's private water wells. At the time, the couple, who had already gotten their wells tested during the move-in, were not very concerned, focusing on remodeling  instead.

“We actually paid to get more things looked at in the water,” Cressman, an engineer on the Navy base in Newport, said. “Apparently PFAS is not one of those, so we actually thought our water was good.”

However, that changed when neighbors Jim and Michelle Reffalt had their well tested and found their levels exceeded 100 parts per trillion (PPTs) of PFAS, significantly higher than the recommended safe consumption level of under 20 PPTs. In addition, they had noticed their neighbor, William Bowley, had a sign up in his front yard, proclaiming that his well had PFAS levels of 422 PPTs. After that, they went to their new neighbors and told them to get their well tested as well.

Soon after, Kossak and Cressman contacted DEM engineer Kirsten Nunn.

“They came the next week and said it would take two or three weeks to get the results back,” Kossak recalled. “A month later I called again and she was like, ‘Oh, I have them right in front of me,’ and it was 130 PPTs.”

Since then, the couple has had to make quick and serious changes to their lives. They’re staying away from tapwater for consumption and are instead getting potable water from both the Tiverton Fire District and from Middletown, where Kossak works. In addition, they keep water bottles next to their sink to brush their teeth, and keep their dog away from the water hose at all times.

“I mean in a sense, we’re lucky,” Cressman said. “We weren’t drinking the water for a long period.”

The couple still has a lot of questions that don’t yet have answers. Kossak pointed out that the home contains asbestos, which they are currently removing, and, similarly to PFAS chemicals, the health ramifications were not fully known when it was used in homes.

“It’s there; it was used under the presumption that there were no health issues.”

RIDOH and DEM recommendations state that the water is safe to bathe in and to use for dishwashing and laundry. The couple is still using their water for that, but admit to unease.

“I do worry about showering,” Kossak said. “I try so hard to keep my mouth shut in the shower.”

While still concerned about their own PFAS levels, the couple said they hope their neighbors, some of whom have much higher levels of PFAS in their wells then they do, get the immediate help they need. As for them, having just bought the home, they plan to stay for the long haul.