Tampa Bay Water’s top priority is providing high-quality, clean, safe drinking water for our member governments – Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, and the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa. The water we provide is safe and meets or is better than state and federal drinking water regulations.
We understand PFAS are a concern for all communities, including here in Tampa Bay, and we want to help residents understand the facts about PFAS and how it affects Tampa Bay Water.
PFAS are man-made compounds that have been widely used in the manufacturing of clothing, sealants and stains, furniture fabrics, Teflon™-coated products, food packaging, and other materials since the 1940s. They are also used in firefighting foam, carpet manufacturing and other industrial processes. EPA is focused on a small number of these compounds that may have health effects at very low concentrations, two of which are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
It is not uncommon to find low levels of PFAS in drinking water sources as they are slow to break down when they enter our environment. When these products are used and discarded, they can release PFAS into the environment, including drinking water sources.
Find out more about PFAS from EPA and the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
In April 2024, EPA issued regulations to limit six PFAS in drinking water. The regulation is now 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFNA, PFHxS and GenX Chemicals. EPA is also setting a limit for any mixture of two or more of the following PFAS: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX Chemicals.
EPA continually studies unregulated contaminants to determine if there is new scientific data to support adding them to the list of regulated contaminants in drinking water. These studies are done through EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule process. EPA is studying 29 PFAS in its fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule study between 2023 and 2025.
EPA developed a PFAS Strategic Roadmap in October 2021 to address the health risks and is in the process of setting maximum contaminant levels for PFAS within the scientifically rigorous framework of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Tampa Bay Water has been testing the regional drinking water supply for 29 PFAS, including the six regulated PFAS, alongside its member utilities, during EPA’s nationwide study. Tampa Bay Water and five of its members began testing in July 2023. The City of Tampa began testing in January 2023. Testing requires collecting samples for four consecutive quarters. Click here for results.
PFAS do not originate in drinking water supplies, and Tampa Bay Water’s raw drinking water sources are not located near known PFAS polluters. Tampa Bay Water has been testing the regional drinking water supply for PFAS, alongside its member utilities, during EPA’s nationwide study. This study uses EPA’s approved analytical methods that can detect PFAS in drinking water supplies at lower levels than previous studies that found no PFAS in regional drinking water supplies. Click here for results.
As part of an ongoing effort to enhance water quality, Tampa Bay Water studied the effectiveness of treatment technologies to reduce total organic carbon; these technologies can also address PFAS and other constituents of emerging concern.
We will use EPA’s final limits, data collected during the EPA study period, and the treatment framework from our water quality study to make prioritized treatment recommendations to our Board of Directors. If treatment is needed, we will use methods recognized by EPA as the most effective for treating PFAS.
Tampa Bay Water also filed a lawsuit against PFAS manufacturers, sellers and distributors to protect its members and their residents from potential financial impacts of removing PFAS from the drinking water sources and supply. We believe it’s important to hold polluters responsible for these costs and not the residents of Tampa Bay.
An important step in this process was for the litigation team to test the region’s drinking water sources to determine if there are detectible levels of PFAS. Find those sampling results here.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made compounds that include up to 5,000 chemicals. PFAS are man-made compounds that have been widely used in the manufacturing of clothing, sealants and stains, furniture fabrics, Teflon™-coated products, food packaging, and other materials since the 1940s. They are also used in firefighting foam, carpet manufacturing and other industrial processes.
EPA is responsible for regulating drinking water. In April 2024, EPA issued regulations to limit six PFAS. The regulation is now 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFNA, PFHxS and GenX Chemicals. EPA is also setting a limit for any mixture of two or more of the following PFAS: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX Chemicals.
How much is a part per trillion? One ppt is roughly the equivalent to one drop of water in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools or one second in 32,000 years.
Health Advisory Levels provide information on contaminants that may cause human health effects and are known or anticipated to be present in drinking water. A Health Advisory Level is the minimum concentration of a compound which may present health risks to an individual over a lifetime of exposure. Because the health effects associated with long-term exposure to a compound may be uncertain, EPA tends to set lower target levels when they issue Health Advisory Levels. Sometimes, the advisory is lower than what current analytical methods can detect. EPA also considers exposure to PFAS beyond drinking water (food, air, consumer products, etc.) when setting Health Advisory Levels.
EPA’s Health Advisory Levels are not regulatory limits. The levels provide technical information to state agencies and other public health officials on health effects, analytical methodologies and treatment technologies associated with drinking water contamination. EPA’s Health Advisory Levels for PFOA and PFOS offers a margin of protection for all Americans throughout their lives from adverse health effects resulting from exposure to PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.
Health Advisory Levels are used with other factors to develop EPA’s regulated Maximum Contaminant Levels.
EPA first issued a Health Advisory Level for PFAS in 2016 at 70 parts per trillion (ppt). Because of further research and as EPA determines its regulatory approach, EPA issued a lower Health Advisory Level.
In June 2022, EPA set updated interim Health Advisory Levels at 0.004 ppt for PFOA and 0.02 ppt for PFOS. These are microscopic levels, and trace amounts. For perspective, one ppt is equal to one drop of water in 20 Olympic-size swimming pools or one second in 32,000 years.
It’s important to note that these Health Advisory Levels are below the reliable detection capability of current scientific equipment. To put this in context, scientists can currently detect PFAS compounds at two ppt.
Maximum Contaminant Levels are regulated and enforceable, and is a standard established by EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It represents an acceptable level of a chemical under specified conditions that ensures the safety of a public drinking water supply.
EPA regularly monitors and evaluates water quality data and human health effects studies involving unregulated contaminants to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels. This process is called the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule.
PFAS exposure can vary depending on your local environment, but you can take steps to reduce your exposure to PFAS. You can identify PFAS in products by looking at ingredient lists for “fluoro” or “perfluoro.” Choosing products that do not have PFAS can require some research, but it is an effective way to reduce your exposure. It can also mean giving up some product features such as “non-stick,” or “water- or stain-resistant.” Consider replacing older and worn-out products with these features to reduce your exposure.
You can make your voice heard about PFAS in several ways. Expressing concern to your legislators can help bring greater attention to the issue. This can potentially help stop the production of PFAS locally and nationally, prevent the sale of products that have PFAS, strengthen regulatory actions taken to control PFAS and increase funding for water utilities to remove PFAS from drinking water. You can find your congressional representatives here.
PFAS do not originate in drinking water. PFAS are slow to break down in the environment and can move far from their original use areas. The manufacturing, use and discarding of these products put PFAS into the environment, where, over time, they may end up in untreated drinking water sources. When spilled into lakes or rivers used as sources of drinking water, they can get into drinking water supplies. PFAS in the air can also end up in rivers and lakes used for drinking water.
Tampa Bay Water joined a lawsuit against manufacturers, sellers and distributors of PFAS to protect its members and rate payers from potential PFAS financial impacts related to sampling, testing and treatment.
It’s important that polluters are held accountable, so public utilities and their customers do not bear the cost to treat drinking water for PFAS.
Tampa Bay Water’s drinking water sources are not located near industrial and manufacturing facilities known to produce PFAS materials, and no PFAS were found during EPA’s 2013-2015 study of Tampa Bay regional drinking water.
If you are concerned about the possibility of PFAS in your drinking water and you are served by a private well, EPA recommends testing your drinking water. Laboratory analysis is necessary to determine if your water contains PFAS chemicals. Qualified testing labs can analyze a sample of your water to determine whether PFAS are present and at what concentrations.
In some locations, regulators or manufacturers of PFAS have set up programs to measure PFAS in groundwater. Your local water or health department or drinking water system should know if there is such a program in your area. In addition, EPA recommends that residents reach out to their local public health department, state, or responsible party, who may be able to help provide support for testing. If no program has been established or support is not available in your area, you can pay to have independent testing done at a qualified testing lab. The typical cost at a qualified testing lab is several hundred dollars per sample.
Both EPA and AWWA offer additional information on PFAS.
