New Analysis in Waterways Shows Shocking Levels of PFAS Contamination
New Data Collected by Waterkeeper Alliance Found 98% of the Surface Waters Tested Across the Country Were Contaminated by Dangerous PFAS Chemicals
Waterkeeper Alliance released a new analysis of American waterways that sounds the alarm on a PFAS pollution emergency. In a test of waterways from across the country, 98% were found to be contaminated with one or more types of PFAS chemicals, with concentrations frequently exceeding health-based criteria.
Developed in partnership with the Hispanic Access Foundation and local Waterkeeper groups in 19 states, including Coosa Riverkeeper, samples were collected from U.S. surface waters upstream and downstream of 22 wastewater treatment plants and 10 permitted biosolids land application sites. The results were striking: 95% of sites downstream from wastewater treatment plants and 80% of sites downstream from biosolids fields showed elevated PFAS levels due to the presence of PFAS.
The Coosa River Basin spans more than 10,000 square miles and flows over 280 miles from northwestern Georgia to central Alabama. The Lower Coosa River Basin is home to up to 46 federally protected species, and is considered one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Big Wills Creek is a tributary to the Coosa River and Whippoorwill Creek is a tributary to the Locust Fork River in the Black Warrior River watershed. The Rainbow City WWTP is a municipal facility that discharges treated wastewater to Big Wills Creek. The facility does not receive discharges from significant industrial users. Of the people living within one mile of the Rainbow City WWTP, 24% are people of color and 38% are low-income. The Rainbow City WWTP is a municipal facility that produces approximately 1,400 lbs/day of Class B biosolids, which is stored in a biosolids lagoon. Since 2023, the plant has contracted with Denali Water Systems to transport biosolids to the Dennis Burton Farm in Altoona, Alabama, where it is land-applied as fertilizer for growing crops in the Whippoorwill Creek watershed.
According to Denali’s nutrient management plan, about 125 acres of land receive the plant’s biosolids each year. Samples of Big Wills Creek upstream and downstream from a Rainbow City WWTP outfall contained multiple types of PFAS. No significant increases were observed between upstream and downstream samples, with the exception of FOSA (non-detect to 1.6 ppt increase). Numerous PFAS decreased in the downstream sample, as did the total PFAS concentration by 2.33 ppt (15.49%). These results could have been influenced by factors such as backflow from the Coosa River, season, precipitation, discharge schedules, and leachate contributions.
At the downstream site, PFOA and PFOS exceeded the draft HHWQC (Water + Organism), indicating the concentrations exceeded the levels EPA has identified a being necessary to protect the general population from adverse health effects due to ingesting water, fish, and shellfish from the waterbody. PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS, PFOS, and FOSA also exceeded the EWG health-based criteria.
These findings are an important step toward filling in a major data gap and validate the Alliance’s call for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and enforce federal standards for PFAS in drinking water and surface water discharges under the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act. In particular, the agency must adopt national Effluent Limitation Guidelines, including pretreatment standards, and water quality criteria for PFAS.
Federal, state, and local officials must also prioritize funding for PFAS monitoring and the deployment of treatment technologies to protect all communities, especially disproportionately impacted by ‘forever chemicals’ and other forms of pollution.
The extent of PFAS contamination in U.S. surface waters was first revealed by Waterkeeper Alliance’s 2022 Phase I monitoring project. More than 100 Waterkeeper groups collected 228 water samples from waterways across 34 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). The results showed that 83% of the sampled waters were contaminated with hazardous PFAS compounds. Measurable levels of PFAS were detected in at least one waterway in 29 states and D.C., often exceeding EPA’s health advisory limits for drinking water.
Since at least the 1950s, PFAS have been widely used in manufacturing and are found in many consumer, commercial, and industrial products. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not break down over time. Instead, these dangerous chemicals accumulate in people, wildlife, and the environment. As a result, PFAS have been found in surface water, air, soil, food, and many commercial materials. Scientific studies increasingly link these toxic chemicals to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver and kidney disease, reproductive issues, immunodeficiencies, and hormonal disruptions.
Despite serious health risks, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to weaken existing federal limits on PFAS “forever chemicals” in drinking water, delay compliance deadlines for regulations targeting PFOA and PFOS, and introduce a federal exemption framework that would effectively shield polluters from accountability.
This data plainly demonstrates that local, state, and federal governments must act with urgency to control persistent PFAS contamination across the country. The current lack of oversight puts the health and safety of communities and ecosystems across the nation at risk and results in costly cleanup and treatment activities to remove PFAS contamination after it has occurred.
Contact EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to strengthen—not weaken— PFAS monitoring and regulations.
