Ariz. begins statewide public water sampling for PFAS

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has initiated its statewide public water system sampling effort to protect the state’s drinking water from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

As part of the effort, ADEQ will sample public water systems for PFAS in every county in Arizona through September 2023.

“ADEQ’s statewide sampling of public water systems in Arizona is critical to understanding where PFAS is so that steps can be taken to reduce people’s exposure to PFAS in drinking water and to connect affected public water systems to funding sources to achieve solutions,” says ADEQ Water Quality Division Director Trevor Baggiore. “In Arizona, small water systems serving less than 3,300 people account for 90 percent or about 1,200 of the approximate 1,500 public water systems, and ADEQ is committed to ensuring these systems, which serve nearly half a million people, are tested for PFAS.”

ADEQ’s sampling plan goes beyond the PFAS sampling required by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5) that begins in January 2023. EPA’s UCMR5 only will require public water systems that serve more than 3,300 customers to test for PFAS.

ADEQ’s statewide PFAS sampling plan will include all Arizona public water systems that have not yet been tested by ADEQ, the public water system, or under EPA’s UCMR:

• From Dec. 16 through September 2023, ADEQ will conduct PFAS sampling for about 1,200 public water systems. If a public water system already is sampling for PFAS, ADEQ will request their data.
• ADEQ’s sampling activities will be conducted under an EPA-approved PFAS Quality Assurance Program Plan and, similar to EPA’s UCMR5, the samples will be analyzed using EPA Methods 533 and 537.1.
• As sample results become available, ADEQ will share validated data with the public water system owners and operators.
• All data collected by ADEQ will be validated, verified, and made available to the public through an interactive map on ADEQ’s website.

The department also says that, when ADEQ’s sampling results show a public water system has a PFAS detection higher than an EPA health advisory level, ADEQ will contact the public water system to discuss EPA’s recommendations that they:

• Take steps to inform customers,
• Examine steps to limit exposure, and
• Undertake additional sampling to assess the level, scope, and source of contamination.

To assist public water systems with potential PFAS challenges, ADEQ compiled an Arizona Public Water System PFAS Toolkit with information regarding funding, sampling, customer communication, and potential PFAS treatment options.

PFAS resolution options must be carefully determined and consider the number of people served, system design and the level of PFAS reduction needed. These options generally include installing a PFAS treatment unit, turning off an impacted well (if other wells are in production), installing in-home point-of-use water treatment systems and others.