Monitoring and Occurrence of PFAS in Drinking Water | AAAS EPI Center
Finally, UCMR 3 sampling focused primarily on large public water systems serving more than 10,000 individuals, and these results represent only a fraction of public water systems and do not include information about private wells and other small water systems. Two PFAS, PFOS and PFOA, were detected above reporting limits of 40 ng/L and 20 ng/L in 1.9 percent and 2.4 percent of these systems, respectively. Since the completion of UCMR 3, additional PFAS and lower levels of the six UCMR 3 PFAS have been detected in waters throughout the United States, largely due to improved analytical capabilities 4 . However, UCMR 4, conducted from 2018 to 2020, did not include any PFAS. UCMR 5, to be conducted from 2022 to 2026, will include additional PFAS. The current plan is for 29 of the 30 contaminants in UCMR 5 to be PFAS. UCMR 5 will also include many more water systems than were included in UCMR 3. UCMR 5 also is expected to provide information related to additional PFAS occurrence and exposure. Beyond federal sampling, some states have initiated PFAS characterization programs that try to identify sources of PFAS in drinking water. Rather than collecting samples from treated water, known as finished water, state sampling initiatives have focused on PFAS measurements at or near potential primary sources, such as those that directly contribute PFAS to the environment (e.g., industrial discharge, firefighting foam containing PFAS) and secondary sources, or those that indirectly contribute PFAS to the environment through conveyance of PFAS from primary sources (e.g., WWTP effluent, landfill leachate). Few states have conducted extensive sampling campaigns, and the sampling locations do not necessarily include all sources posing potential PFAS contamination risks to water resources. Table 1 presents examples of state PFAS sampling campaigns and provides the year the initiatives began, the type of water sampled, and the primary goals of sampling. In some cases, states sampled directly from industrial facility outfalls and/or landfill leachate 5–10 . Table 1 is not exhaustive, and additional state sampling initiatives can be found on the EPA’s website 2 . Table 1 - Examples of State PFAS Sampling Campaigns
YEAR INITIATED
WATERS SAMPLED
KEY CONSIDERATIONS AND PRIMARY GOALS OF CAMPAIGNS Multiple past and ongoing studies to determine PFAS occurrence in the environment, drinking water sources, watersheds, aquatic life, surface water, and sediment. Four-year sampling study of probable sources of contamination (airports, industrial facilities) and public water system drinking water.
STATE
Groundwater, surface water, finished water Groundwater, surface water, finished water
NEW JERSEY 11
2007
MASSACHUSETTS
2016
14
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