Apr 10, 2024

PFAS not detected in Greenville’s source and finished water

Greenville, SC; April 10, 2024 – Today, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) formally released new regulatory guidance, setting limits for six types of manufactured Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) chemicals that may be found in some drinking water. The new limits are set at four parts per trillion (ppt) for some of the most common PFAS categories found in parts of the US. In addition, the US EPA has set limits of 10 ppt for three other PFAS contaminant categories that may be found in some drinking water. The US EPA will also now require public water systems to monitor for these PFAS and provide the public with information on the levels of PFAS in their drinking water by 2027.

We want our customers to know that the water treated and supplied by Greenville Water was initially tested for PFAS in 2014 and consistently tested since 2019 with no level of PFAS detected to date. Greenville Water labs collect more than 25,000 samples and complete more than 113,000 analyses on an annual basis, including those for PFAS and PFOA. A summary of these tests can be found in our annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), available on our website.

The new US EPA regulatory guidance addresses PFAS chemicals, which are synthetic chemicals that have been manufactured and used by a broad range of industries since the 1940s. These chemicals have unique physical and chemical properties such as resistance to low and high temperatures, resistance to degradation and non-stick characteristics. These chemicals have been used in thousands of everyday products including non-stick pans, weather resistant clothing, cosmetics and food packaging. Because of decades of widespread use, PFAS has been detected worldwide in soil, air and water. Eighty (80) percent of PFAS environmental exposure has come from consumer products and manufacturing of these products while twenty (20) percent or less of the exposure comes from drinking water.

Because of Greenville Water’s stringent protection and compliance efforts, our source water and finished water quality already exceeds the new standards. Consistent sampling of our pristine water reservoirs has found them to be free from industrial and other influences that may indicate the potential for PFAS contamination above the newly established limits.

Greenville Water CEO Jeff Boss stated, “Since 2019 Greenville Water has tested the source water and finished water at our two water treatment plants. To date, no level of PFAS has been detected.”

The following US EPA and SCDHEC sites provide additional information on the subject:

US EPA https://www.epa.gov/pfas

SCDHEC https://scdhec.gov/environment/polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas