Water problem
PFAS
A large family of manufactured fluorinated compounds used in firefighting foam, non-stick coatings, and industrial processes. They do not break down readily, and the federal drinking water limits set in 2024 are driving testing and treatment across the Northeast.
What you might notice
- None that you can taste, smell, or see
- A utility notice about PFAS exceedances
- Proximity to an airport, military installation, or fire training site
What these compounds are
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a family of thousands of manufactured chemicals built around carbon and fluorine bonds. Those bonds are extremely stable, which is what made the compounds useful in non-stick coatings, stain resistant fabrics, and firefighting foams, and what makes them persist in the environment.
They entered groundwater mainly through industrial discharge, landfill leachate, and the use of firefighting foam at airports, military installations, and fire training grounds. Contamination therefore tends to cluster around those sources rather than being evenly distributed.
In 2024 the EPA set enforceable national drinking water limits for several of these compounds. Public water systems across the Northeast are working through monitoring and, where needed, treatment against those limits.
Finding out whether it affects you
On a public supply, your utility's annual report is the place to start, along with any direct notices it has sent. Monitoring data is increasingly published because systems are now required to collect it.
On a private well nobody is testing but you. A laboratory test using an approved method is the only way to know, and PFAS sampling is unusually easy to get wrong because these compounds are present in so many everyday materials. Follow the laboratory's handling instructions precisely, including what not to wear and which containers to use.
Proximity to a known source raises the priority considerably. If you are near an airport, a military site, a fire training ground, or a facility with a history of fluorochemical use, testing is worth doing even without a notice.
Treatment, and the limits of the certification
Three approaches are certified: activated carbon under NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS, systems tested to the NSF/ANSI P473 protocol, and reverse osmosis under NSF/ANSI 58.
Every one of those certifications is written around named compounds, most often PFOA and PFOS. A system validated against those two has not been validated against the thousands of related substances, so a claim to remove PFAS without qualification overstates what the testing supports.
The other limitation is that breakthrough is invisible. There is no taste or smell to warn you when the media is exhausted, so replacement must follow the manufacturer's rated capacity rather than any observation. If your supply tests non-detect, the honest answer is that this equipment is not indicated and would be a recurring cost against a risk you do not have.
How to confirm it
Check your utility's annual report and any state PFAS notices. Public systems are being required to monitor and report. On a private well, only a laboratory test using an approved method will tell you, and sampling has strict handling rules because PFAS is present in many everyday materials that can contaminate a sample.
The test that settles this is certified laboratory analysis using an epa-approved pfas method. We include what we can measure on site in a free water test, and we will tell you plainly when a certified laboratory is the right next step rather than anything we can do at your kitchen tap.
When not to treat it
If your utility reports non-detect for the regulated compounds and you are not on a private well near a known source, treatment is not indicated. PFAS media is expensive to replace and gives no warning when it is exhausted, so installing it speculatively creates a recurring cost with no measurable benefit.
Treatment options that actually apply
These are the equipment types that address this problem. Each page states what the equipment does not do, so you can rule it out quickly if your situation does not match.
- PFAS reduction systems. Reverse osmosis or a certified activated carbon system aimed at per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
- Reverse osmosis, tank. A membrane system under the sink that produces treated water to a dedicated tap and stores it in a small pressure tank.
- Under-sink carbon filters. A carbon block cartridge on the cold line under the sink.
What none of these will do
- The full PFAS family. Certifications cover named compounds, most often PFOA and PFOS, not thousands of related substances.
- PFAS at every tap, if the system is point-of-use.
- Anything at all once the media is exhausted, and PFAS breakthrough gives no taste or smell warning.
Getting it installed
Once a test has confirmed the problem and narrowed the equipment, the practical questions are access, space, and whether anyone's permission is needed. Those are covered on the installation pages, along with what a visit involves and how long it takes.
- Free water testing. 45 to 60 minutes.
- All installation services
- What installation costs
Other water problems
- Hard water
- Chlorine and chloramine taste
- Lead in drinking water
- Iron and rust staining
- Sulfur smell
- Sediment and cloudy water
Sources
- PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation. US Environmental Protection Agency, 2024.
Next step