UCMR5and Non-RegulatoryPFAS
WATERTEST RESULTS 2023SamplingAnalysis
TylerWaterUtilities
Whatdoes itmean?
PFAS
Per-andpoly-fluoroalkylsubstances(PFAS)areagroupof chemicals made by humans and used in everyday items like non-stick cookware, waterproofing and stain-resistant materials, and personal care products. These PFAS can get into the environment and have been found in soil, water, andair.Theycanstayinthebodyforalongtimeandmay cause health problems. To protect people's health, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a health advisorylevelforPFASindrinkingwater.
UCMR5
The UCMR5 program is a rule developed by the EPA in the United States. Its purpose is to monitor and report on 29 PFAS that are suspected of being present in drinking water. The program helps the EPA understand whether these PFAS should be regulated in the future to ensure safe drinking water for everyone. The information is important for public water systems. On April 10, 2024, the EPA announced Maximum ContaminantLevels(MCL)forfivePFASandaHazardIndexfor mixturesofthreeormoreregulatedPFAS.
Whyandhowwetest
The EPA has mandated that public water systems of a specific size test the water in their treatment plants for 29 newly discovered PFAS under the UCMR5 rule. Although not required, TWU has also started testing the raw source water to ensure water quality and safety.
Wehavecompletedtherequiredquarterlytestingfor2023,butwewillcontinuetomonitor theseemergingPFASeveryquarterinboththerawandtreatedwater.
Whenouranalystscollectsamplesfortesting,theymustavoidusingthefollowingitemsto minimizeintroducingPFASintothesamples:
Personalcareproductssuchascosmetics,moisturizers,fragrances,andcreams
ClothingcontainingGore-TexorScotchgard
Newclothing
Tyvekclothing
Post-ItNotes
Waterprooffieldbooks
Chemical(blue)icepacks
Sharpieorpermanentmarkers
Latexgloves
Results
MostPFASnotdetected
Mostofthe 29PFASwerenotdetected inthesamples taken of both the raw and treated water. We analyzed 464sampleswithonly25detections.Notdetectingthe PFAS in the raw source water is reassuring. PFAS are unlikely to be introduced during the water treatment process.
Proactiveapproach
At this point, it is not required to test the raw water sources for the 29 PFAS. However, to make the best, well-informed decisions, we wanted to test our water sources as well. We discovered that most contaminants were not detected in either source, meaningwehavegoodwaterquality!
LakePalestine
Three PFAS were consistently detected at Lake Palestine and its water treatment plant. However, the specific PFAS detected are not regulated by the EPA. WebelievewecanfindtheseatLakePalestineandnot LakeTylerbecausePalestineisabiggerlakereceiving water runoff from various sources, including farming andagriculture.
Oct.16testing
Two regulated PFAS with set MCLs were detected at Lake Palestine on Oct. 16. However, these were only detectedonceandnotdetectedinthefollowingtests completedonOct.17andOct.23.Webelievetheseare test anomalies and not reasons for concern at this moment.
PFASNationalPrimary DrinkingWaterRegulation
On April 10, 2024, the EPA announced the final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS chemicals. PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DAwillberegulatedindividually.PFBSdoesn’thaveasetMCLbutwill becountedasachemicalthatwillaffecttheHazardIndex.
Movingforward,wewillbegininitialmonitoring,whichwillbecompletedby 2027. In 2027, public water systems will begin quarterly compliance monitoring with four samples taken each year to evaluate the PFAS compoundsateachentrypointtothedistributionsystem.
TheFuture
Taste and odor are the hardest things to treat in water. While we work with a contractor and pilot programs to improve the taste and smell of our water, we will also be evaluating filtering options for these emerging PFAS.
Howtoreadthedata
ND
LevelsofthesePFASwerenot detectedabovetheMRL.
BlueNumbers
ThesePFASweredetectedbutarebelowthe regulatorylevels.
PFASregulatedbytheEPA
PPT
AlllevelsaremeasuredinPartsPerTrillion (ppt). Thismeans1ppt=1dropofwaterin anOlympic-sizepool.
YellowNumbers
ThesePFASweredetectedabovetheMCL.
GreenNumbers
Noregulatorylevelshavebeenproposedfor thesePFAS.
RedPFAS
Howtoreadthedata
MRL MCL
MinimumReportingLevelsfortheUCMR5 program.MRLdoesnotnecessarilymeanitis beingregulated.ThesetMRLsarealsothe minimumlevelsatwhicheachPFAScanbe detected.
MaximumContaminantLevelsfor sixPFASbeingregulatedbytheEPA
HazardIndex
TheHazardIndex(HI)calculateshowhazardouscertainPFASwouldbewhen combined.ThreeormoreregulatedPFASneedtobepresentabovetheirMCL fortheHItobecalculated.
Measured
in Parts Per Trillion (PPT)
2023WaterTestResults
Measured in Parts Per Trillion (PPT)
2023WaterTestResults
NoPFASdetectedinLake
Tyler!
Twoanomaliesinthetest results.Wewillcontinueto monitortheseclosely.
OnlythreePFASwere consistentlydetectedinLake Palestine,butthesearenot proposedtoberegulated.