Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and your Drinking Water
Each year, Tualatin Valley Water District’s (TVWD) Water Quality team conducts thousands of water quality tests to ensure your drinking water is clean, high-quality, and in compliance with all federal and state drinking water standards.
As part of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) program, a list of unregulated contaminants is issued every five years that must be monitored by public water systems like TVWD. EPA and water providers use the UCMR program to collect data for existing and emerging contaminants that may be present in drinking water that typically do not have health-based standards set under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
UCRM3: No Detection of PFAS
TVWD, along with other regional water supply agencies, tested for six PFAS under the EPA’s Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3). This monitoring occurred over a 12-month period, beginning in 2014 and ending in 2015.
PFAS were not detected in your drinking water system or our regional sources during this previous monitoring period.
Recent PFAS Testing
TVWD began another 12-month round of PFAS testing in July 2023 under the EPA’s Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5) which includes testing for an expanded list of 29 PFAS. Testing under the UMCR5 program allowed PFAS to be detected at concentrations as low as 2 parts-per-trillion (ppt), equivalent to two drops of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
TVWD staff recently completed all four rounds of monitoring for the 29 PFAS based compounds under EPA’s UCMR5 testing program. Monitoring began July 2023 and concluded with the final round of testing in April 2024.
PFAS were not detected in your drinking water system or our regional sources during this monitoring period.
The understanding of PFAS occurrence in public drinking water continue to expand and evolve as public health officials learn more about the impacts from these chemicals. Our water quality experts continue to closely monitor the latest research and information about this critical topic.
TVWD is committed to providing customers with reliable, resilient, and safe water.
