'Little to no' traces of PFAS found from year's worth of testing Austin Water quality

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Water officials on Monday released results from a year's worth of water quality testing that was part of a nationwide effort to determine the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or "forever chemicals," in public drinking water.

Austin Water said the results revealed little to no detectable traces of PFAS in the city’s drinking water.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a rule called UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5) that requires drinking water providers like Austin Water to measure the level of 29 specific PFAS chemicals, six of which will soon be regulated. The EPA will use the results to determine requirements for testing, treatment and future regulations surrounding PFAS.

The rule requires certain public water systems to monitor for PFAS and lithium in drinking water between 2023 and 2025. The water systems that fell under the requirements must monitor for those chemicals during a single 12-month timeframe within those three years.

For Austin Water, because PFAS levels were either not detected or lower than upcoming EPA regulatory limits, no additional treatment to address these substances is required right now.

"This great news validates decades of work to protect and safeguard our water at its source,” Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in the announcement. “Austin’s embrace of strong environmental protections to reduce pollution in the Highland Lakes has played a vital role in keeping our water supply safe and clean." 

Austin Water leaders said in a press release the water supply benefits from the "many environmental protections that have been in place for decades."

According to Austin Water, those protections include a ban on the discharge of pollutants in the Highland Lakes and the Lower Colorado River Authority’s participation in the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality’s Clean Rivers Program. As a result, the Highland Lakes, which are the source of Austin’s drinking water, are less impacted by industries and activities that produce PFAS contaminants.

PFAS testing first began in October 2023 in accordance with the UCMR5. The quarterly tests were conducted over a 12-month period.

"We’re proud of the precise sampling and testing our team conducted to detect trace amounts of PFAS. The results affirm our unwavering commitment to high quality drinking water,” said Shay Ralls Roalson, director of Austin Water. “We’ll continue to closely monitor the EPA’s research in this area as they determine future regulations surrounding PFAS.”