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Contaminant guide

PFOA in drinking water

The EPA sets no numeric limit for PFOA in drinking water. Of the 9,676 water suppliers tested, 1,222 had it detected.

12.6%
of suppliers detected it
(1,222/9,676)

What the EPA limit means

⚖️

No federal limit

The EPA has not set an enforceable numeric limit for this contaminant.

🎯

Health goal (MCLG) — the level with no known health effect. It is a goal, not a legal limit, and is often zero for carcinogens.

🧪

UCMR-5

Where these measurements come from. Hover the tag for the EPA programme and years.

Where PFOA was found

The water suppliers reporting the highest levels, worst first.

SupplierCityStateLevel vs EPA limit
Collegeville Trappe Joint Pwd Trappe PA
0.2350 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Raynham Center Water District Raynham MA
0.0920 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Caernarvon Twp Auth Morgantown PA
0.0558 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Collinsville Water Works Collinsville AL
0.0525 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Bealeton Regional Warrenton VA
0.0446 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Livingston Twp Div of Water Livingston twp.-0710 NJ
0.0440 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Palmerton Municipal Authority Palmerton PA
0.0425 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Verona Water Department Verona boro-0720 NJ
0.0423 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Payson Town of Payson AZ
0.0409 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Gonzalez Utilities Association, Inc. Cantonment FL
0.0392 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Tempe City of Tempe AZ
0.0387 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Georgetown Water Department Georgetown DE
0.0360 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Savannah Valley U.D. Georgetown TN
0.0350 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Columbus Columbus GA
0.0339 µg/L
No EPA limit set
City of Atwater Atwater CA
0.0330 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Gadsden, the Wwsb of the City of Gadsden AL
0.0320 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Ridgewood Water Ridgewood twp-0251 NJ
0.0314 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Grand Bay Water Works Board Grand Bay AL
0.0314 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Lafayette La Fayette GA
0.0310 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Pa American Audubon Norristown PA
0.0308 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Ho Ho Kus Water Dept Hohokus boro-0228 NJ
0.0304 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Ontario Municipal Utilities Company Ontario CA
0.0300 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Robeson County Water System Maxton NC
0.0300 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Augusta-Richmond Co Ws Augusta GA
0.0299 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Town of Anthony Anthony TX
0.0291 µg/L
No EPA limit set

Frequently asked questions about PFOA

What is PFOA in drinking water?

PFOA is monitored in US public drinking water under EPA rules. Each supplier's result is reported to the EPA and published here with its source and period.

Does the EPA limit PFOA?

The EPA has not set a numeric Maximum Contaminant Level for PFOA. It is still measured and reported, so levels can be compared between suppliers.

How common is PFOA in US tap water?

Of the 9,676 water suppliers with results on file, 1,222 detected PFOA — 12.6% of those tested.