Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an emerging issue that all water providers and systems across the nation are working towards understanding; fortunately, Medford Water’s water is at low risk and PFAS have not been detected in our system. Medford Water meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements for water quality testing, including PFAS.
What are PFAS?
PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals that have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries in the United States since the 1940s, and found in many consumer products like cookware, food packaging, and stain repellants. Manufacturing and processing facilities, airports, and military installations that use firefighting foams are some of the main sources of PFAS. Unfortunately, these compounds tend to break down extremely slowly over time, meaning they build up in the environment and in our bodies. Exposure to certain PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects; U.S. manufacturers have voluntarily agreed stop producing and using PFAS products by the end of 2025. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has additional facts about PFAS that can be read on their website.
Does Medford Water test for PFAS?
In addition to our regular monitoring the quality of the water supply, in 2024, we sampled for the 29 PFOS and PFOA compounds as well as lithium, as part of EPA’s 5th Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), a list of potential contaminants that public water systems must monitor for.
We have had no detections to date.
The results are published by EPA, in our Consumer Confidence Report, and in our Water Quality Analyses report, which is a comprehensive listing of all our annual testing results. Both reports are available on our Water Quality Reports page.
Current rules require drinking water suppliers to remove PFAS when it is detected at, or above, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt). To help you understand what four parts per trillion is, imagine 1 ppt as 1 inch in 16 million miles (600+ times around the earth), or one cent in 10 billion dollars; we have also included a visualization at left. Learn more about the UCMR5 at EPA’s website.
What is Medford Water doing to protect against PFAS?
The best way to maintain safe drinking water is to protect the source; find out more about our robust Source Water Protection Program here. Along with this program, we will continue to monitor our drinking water sources for contaminants such as PFAS to continue to bring you a reliable, high-quality water supply at the best value.
Questions?
Call us at 541-774-2430 or email customerservice@medfordwater.org.