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Contaminant guide

PFOS in drinking water

The EPA sets no numeric limit for PFOS in drinking water. Of the 9,676 water suppliers tested, 1,290 had it detected.

13.3%
of suppliers detected it
(1,290/9,676)

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 PFOS was found

The water suppliers reporting the highest levels, worst first.

SupplierCityStateLevel vs EPA limit
Nashville, Town of Nashville NC
0.4900 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Running Springs Water District Running Springs CA
0.2365 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Artondale Tacoma WA
0.1536 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Emmaus Borough Public Water Emmaus PA
0.1530 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Gwa Northern Water System Tumon GU
0.1350 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Yeshiva Farm Settlement New Castle NY
0.1060 µg/L
No EPA limit set
City of Grand Prairie Grand Prairie TX
0.0820 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Orangewood Water System Holiday FL
0.0808 µg/L
No EPA limit set
City of Oxford Oxford MS
0.0722 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Irondale Water System Irondale AL
0.0594 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk Downey CA
0.0590 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Pa American Audubon Norristown PA
0.0579 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Lafayette La Fayette GA
0.0560 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Tempe City of Tempe AZ
0.0558 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Lake Panasoffkee Water Assn 2wps Lake Panasoffkee FL
0.0530 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Montebello Land & Water Co. Montebello CA
0.0530 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Moses Lake City of Moses Lake WA
0.0522 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Broken Arrow Municipal Authority Broken Arrow OK
0.0513 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Augusta-Richmond Co Ws Augusta GA
0.0510 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Dartmouth Water Division Dartmouth MA
0.0506 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Fkaa J. Robert Dean W.T.P. Florida City FL
0.0503 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Town of Thurmont Thurmont MD
0.0480 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Harrison Co Water Association Cynthiana KY
0.0479 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Aibonito La Plata Aibonito C PR
0.0467 µg/L
No EPA limit set
Barrow Utilities & Elec. Coop., Inc. (Bu Barrow AK
0.0463 µg/L
No EPA limit set

Frequently asked questions about PFOS

What is PFOS in drinking water?

PFOS 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 PFOS?

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

How common is PFOS in US tap water?

Of the 9,676 water suppliers with results on file, 1,290 detected PFOS — 13.3% of those tested.