The Georgetown Water Department recently conducted extensive testing for polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are commonly called “forever chemicals” due to properties that prevent them from degrading over time.
The Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) have found these chemicals may pose a variety of harmful effects on humans.
PFAS are commonly found in products like stain-resistant furniture, Gore-Tex jackets, non-stick cookware and more. The DEP has set rigorous standards for detecting the presence of, and treating water to remove, PFAS.
Georgetown Water recently conducted extensive tests of its system for the six PFAS of concern. These tests are performed quarterly in coordination with MassDEP, to determine whether any of these contaminants are present.
What did we learn?
Through testing, Georgetown Water was shown to be significantly below the Maximum Contamination Limit of 20 ppt for 6 compounds. MassDEP sets 20 parts per trillion for a sum of 6 PFAS components as the upper limit of safety. Above that threshold, communities must take steps to treat water and protect those vulnerable to the negative health impacts of PFAS.
What does this mean?
It means Georgetown’s water is safe to drink. All regulatory testing results are dessimmated yearly in our Consumer Confidence report that is mailed to all customers and posted in a variety of areas in town as well as on both the town and water department websites.
What happens next?
Confirmatory tests have assured us that our water is safe to drink and free from meaningful amounts of PFAS. Still, we will continue to conduct testing in collaboration with MassDEP. Testing will take place quarterly beginning January 2022.