EWG’s Science Investigations and Government Affairs Team

Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Detected in Drinking Water Supplies Across California

Drinking water sources for 74 community water systems serving 7.5 million Californians are contaminated with the highly toxic fluorinated chemicals called PFAS, according to an Environmental Working Group review of the latest state data.

Very low doses of PFAS chemicals in drinking water have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, liver and thyroid disease, and other health problems. All of the detections in California water systems’ sources exceeded 1 part per trillion, or ppt, the safe level recommended by the best independent studies and endorsed by EWG.

More than 40 percent of the systems had at least one sample with a level of total PFAS over 70 ppt, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s inadequate lifetime health advisory level for the two most notorious fluorinated chemicals, PFOA and PFOS. In addition to those two compounds, some California water systems detected up to six other PFAS chemicals.

Among the utilities with high maximum detections of PFAS in drinking water sources was the system for the southern part of Camp Pendleton, the sprawling Marine Corps base in San Diego County, where a combined concentration of 820 ppt for seven different PFAS chemicals was measured in a single well in 2017.

More than 578 ppt of eight PFAS chemicals was detected this year in a well of the City of Corona water system, and more than 450 ppt of six PFAS in a well of the California Water Service Company system for Oroville. In 2017, more than 400 ppt of six PFAS was found in a well of the California American Water Company system for Rosemont and other Sacramento suburbs.

See the full list of detections here.

The water systems conducted the tests between 2013, when the EPA ordered one-time nationwide sampling for PFAS, and this year, as the state moves toward establishing its own health advisory levels for the two PFAS compounds covered by the EPA’s advisory.

EWG’s list shows not the current level of contamination in customers’ tap water, but rather the extent of contamination in drinking water sources identified since 2013. Maximum detection levels reported to the California State Water Board and the EPA are a snapshot of what was in the water when it was tested, not necessarily what is coming out of taps now.

Water systems may have taken contaminated wells offline, blended water from contaminated wells with cleaner sources, or installed water treatment to reduce PFAS levels. For example, Camp Pendleton’s 2017 water quality report stated that after one sample that year exceeded the EPA’s advisory level for PFOA and PFOS, the affected well was shut down.

But mitigation efforts do not make the problem go away. The costs of mitigating high PFAS levels are borne by the utility and often passed on to customers, and systems face challenges finding alternate sources of water when a source is shut down. At a time when clean water supplies in the state are at a high premium, communities all across California are affected by the PFAS contamination crisis.

The earlier EPA-mandated tests had confirmed PFAS contamination in the tap water of 27 California water systems. The new detections reported to the state increase the number of California water systems with confirmed PFAS detections to 74. The water board recently ordered additional testing for some PFAS in water near airports, landfills and locations where PFAS were previously found.

PFAS contamination has been found in more than 800 communities, military bases, airports and industrial sites nationwide. EWG’s analysis of unreleased EPA-mandated test data estimates that more than 100 million Americans may have PFAS in their drinking water. Because PFAS are “forever chemicals” that never break down once released into the environment, they build up in our blood and organs. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, virtually all Americans have PFAS in their blood.

The EPA has not set a national legal limit for PFAS in drinking water supplies, only the non-enforceable and inadequate lifetime health advisory. Neither has California, despite calls to do so from EWG and more than two dozen other environmental and public health organizations.

The water board has asked the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, or OEHHA, to develop public health goals for PFOA, formerly used to make DuPont’s Teflon, and PFOS, formerly an ingredient in 3M’s Scotchgard. The water board says regulations for other PFAS chemicals may be considered later.

While the state works toward developing health benchmarks for PFOA and PFOS, OEHHA has recommended that community water systems inform their customers if the levels of those chemicals exceed health-based notification levels, which it says should be set at “the lowest levels at which PFOA and PFOS can be reliably detected in drinking water.”

OEHHA’s recommendation to report all detections is based on a science review of pancreatic and liver cancer in animals, indicating that a concentration protective from a one-in-one-million cancer risk over a lifetime is at or below 0.1 ppt for PFOA and 0.4 ppt for PFOS. However, the water board set higher notification levels than OEHHA recommended – 5.1 ppt for PFOA and 6.5 ppt for PFOS.

Major sources of contamination are PFAS-based firefighting foams, industrial discharge of PFAS into the air and water, and PFAS in food packaging and other everyday consumer products. Once released into the environment, PFAS chemicals enter our bodies through food and drinking water, among other routes.

Despite the health risks of PFAS, there are no state or federal legal limits on releases of these chemicals into the environment or legal requirements to clean up legacy contamination.

Military and civilian firefighters continue to use PFAS firefighting foams that seep into drinking water supplies. Because these foams have been used for decades, hundreds of military installations are contaminated. Manufacturers continue to discharge PFAS into the air and water. Nearly 500 facilities nationwide are suspected of releases of PFAS chemicals, but these manufacturers are not subject to any environmental or reporting requirements. There is no federal requirement for water utilities to remove PFAS from tap water, or even test for PFAS in water.

Because PFAS have not been designated as “hazardous substances” under the federal Superfund law, PFAS manufacturers are not required to clean up legacy PFAS contamination – even though companies like 3M and DuPont knowingly released PFAS chemicals for decades. Internal company documents show that manufacturers knew of the risks PFAS chemicals posed to their own workers and neighboring communities but failed to tell regulators.

Congress may soon adopt PFAS reform provisions included in the House and Senate versions of a must-pass defense spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2020, including provisions to:

Quickly end military uses of PFAS in firefighting foam and food packaging.

Reduce industrial discharges of PFAS into drinking water supplies.

Remediate sites with the worst PFAS contamination.

Expand PFAS monitoring and reporting.

Congress is stepping up because President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense have refused to act. Earlier this year, the Trump administration proposed a PFAS “action plan” too weak and toothless to address the growing contamination crisis.

System Name, Location Population Maximum PFAS Sample

Result (parts per trillion),

Year, Source PFAS Detected Detections/ Samples Camp Pendleton (South) 39,400 820.8

2017

Well 330925 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 162/207 City of Corona 155,896 578.4

2019

Well 17a PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 112/228 Cal-Water Service Company, Oroville 9,427 451.8

2019

Well 02-01 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 6/7 California American Water Company – Suburban, Rosemont 111,768 404

2017

Nut Plains PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 40/87 City of Pleasanton 73,067 258.9

2019

Well 08 ADONA, PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 8/16 Zone 7 Water Agency, Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin 40 235.4

2019

Mocho Well 01 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 23/29 California Water Service, Visalia 135,923 225

2014

EP #77: VIS-W-077-01-CL PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 4/88 Santa Clarita Water Division 120,900 197.5

2019

Valley Center Well PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 5/30 Sierra Army Depot, Herlong, Patton Village 1,500 150.5

2018

Well 8 –- Raw PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOA 6/8 City of Anaheim 450,000 132.1

2019

Well 046 072 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 27/55 Valencia Water Company 117,251 121.6

2019

Well S-7 PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 14/50 Yorba Linda Water District 77,513 119.7

2019

Well 01 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 73/77 City of Orange 138,640 118.3

2019

Well 09 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 17/47 Cal-water Service Company, Chico 100,435 118

2014

EP #127: CH-W-007-04-CL PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 27/123 City of Lathrop 12,427 115

2019

Well 09 PFBS, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 9/16 Serrano Water District, Villa Park 6,641 111

2019

Well 05 011 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 4/4 City of Garden Grove 170,883 110.7

2019

Well 028 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 16/37 East Orange County Water District 3,000 103.3

2019

West Well PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 4/4 California Water Service Company – East Los Angeles 150,446 94.7

2019

Well 38-02 PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 10/32 City of Fullerton 138,251 90.9

2019

Well 03a PFBS, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS

12

32 City of Commerce Water Department 3,828 90.4

2019

Gac Treat For Well 04l Efflu PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 2/2 Atascadero Mutual Water Company 30,332 89.5

2019

Well 05a PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 8/15 Montebello City Water Department 6,962 88.9

2019

Montebello Well 01 PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 2/2 Montebello Land & Water Company 32,219 86.4

2019

Well 07 N-EtFOSAA, PFBS, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 18/20 Camp Pendleton (North) 15,600 83.4

2019

Well 620620 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 67/81 Pico Rivera Water Department 39,000 82

2014

EP #26: Well 7 Treated PFBS, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS 23/34 Liberty Utilities, Bellflower, Norwalk 72,884 76.9

2019

Well 28-b PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 7/15 Downey Water Department 111,930 75

2019

Well 02 (old Well 08) PFBS, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 5/12 Irvine Ranch Water District 370,000 74.8

2019

Well Opa-1 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 2/32 Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Wildomar 142,264 73.8

2019

Canyon Lake Wtp - Treated PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 7/19 La Habra Heights County Water District 5,379 69

2019

Well 09 PFBS, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS 3/3 Friendly Acres Mobile Home Park, Red Bluff 75 67.6

2019

Well 01 PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/1 Orchard Dale Water District, La Mirada 22,492 66

2014

EPTDS from Mills PFOA, PFOS 1/4 Bakman Water Company, Sunnyside 8,866 65.5

2019

Well 07 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 4/6 Rubidoux Community Service District 26,150 63

2019

Well 04 - Old Skotty PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 3/9 Golden State Water Company, Norwalk 44,466 58.9

2019

Imperial Plant - Combined-effl PFBS, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 2/13 City of Stockton 171,687 49.8

2019

Well Sss8 PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 2/43 Monterey Park Water Department 62,183 49

2019

Well 05 PFOA, PFOS 4/13 Sacramento Suburban Water District 171,200 49

2019

Well 46 - Jonas/sierra Mills R PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 3/118 Pico Water District 24,100 47

2019

Well 08 PFBS, PFOA, PFOS 5/10 City of Adelanto 31,765 47

2019

Well 04 PFHxS 1/7 City of Santa Ana 329,815 42.8

2019

Well 38 PFBS, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 2/32 Higuera Apartments, San Luis Obispo 30 40.3

2019

Well 01 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/1 Central Basin Municipal Water District, Los Angeles 0 37.8

2019

Well Cb-1 PFBS, PFOA, PFOS 4/4 California Water Service, Livermore 56,700 37.6

2019

Well 19-01 PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/19 Ontario Municipal Utilities Company 167,382 33.8

2019

Well 25 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA 1/70 Buena Vista Migrant Center, Watsonville 455 32.9

2019

Well #1 PFBS, PFOA, PFOS 1/1 San Jose Water Company 998,000 26.3

2019

Williams Well 15 PFBS, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 47/118 City of Norco 27,160 26

2015

EPTDS from MWD PFOA 1/14 City of Clovis 103,871 25.4

2019

Well T-06 - Raw PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS 11/82 South Montebello Irrigation District 9,574 25

2019

Well 05 PFOA, PFOS 3/3 City of San Juan Capistrano 40,000 21

2015

EP #14: NOS PFOA 1/10 Stonegate Mobile Home Park, Larkfield 100 20.7

2019

Main Well PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/1 City of Sacramento Main 486,189 19

2019

Well 139 PFOA, PFOS 3/23 City of Riverside 303,871 18.6

2019

7th & Chicago - Distribution PFBS, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 2/4 Afuera De Chorro Water Company, San Luis Obispo 75 16.3

2019

Well 15 PFBS, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/1 Bellflower Somerset Mutual Water Company 46,000 15

2019

Well 587 PFOS 1/16 Colonial Estates Mobile Home Park, Sacramento 438 13.9

2019

Secondary Well PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 2/2 Keefer Creek Estates Mutual, Chico 95 13.7

2019

Kelsey Drive Well PFBS, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/2 City of Rialto 48,623 12.1

2019

Rialto Well 05 PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA 1/19 Santa Clara Valley Water District, Santa Clara County 0 11.9

2018

W Campbell Ave - Well B PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 4/6 San Lorenzo Valley Water District, Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Forest Park 21,145 8.4

2019

Quail Hollow Well 05a - Raw PFBS, PFOS 1/20 City of Redding 91,207 6.9

2019

Enterprise Well 08 PFHxS, PFOS 2/36 City of Anderson 11,127 6.6

2019

Well 08 -rhyne Well PFBS, PFOS 1/22 Sacramento County Water Agency – Arden Park Vista 9,841 6.4

2019

Well 02 - Tolenas – Raw PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/2 Castaic Lake Water Agency, Santa Clarita 0 6

2019

Saugus Well 01 PFHxS, PFOS 1/2 California Water Service – North Garden 24,167 5.5

2019

Well 178-01 - Before Gac (h2s) PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS 1/19 Coachella VWD No. 11, Desert Shores, Salton Sea Beach, Salton City 5,442 5.2

2019

Well 8995- PFBS, PFHxA 1/3 Marina Coast Water District 31,218 5.2

2019

Well 29 (a) PFHxA 2/15 Glendale Water Department 195,799 3

2019

Gou Blended Effluent From Gran PFHxA 2/14 Tucker Oaks East Water District, Anderson 105 2.7

2019

Well 01 - Raw ADONA 1/1 Long Beach Water Department 470,292 2.6

2019

Alamitos Well 08 ADONA 1/19 City of Fresno 522,352 1.1

2019

Well 199 - Raw PFOS 1/390

DISCLAIMER: This table presents data from the California State Water Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency analyzed by EWG. EWG has worked to ensure the accuracy of the information provided. EWG does not accept responsibility for the specific test results reported to the agencies. The source descriptions (Column 3) are taken directly from agency documents.