Eliminating federal limits in drinking water on the toxic“forever chemicals” known as PFAS could end a vital safeguard against continued pollution for 1.3 million New Yorkers.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s landmark standards for six PFAS in tap water, finalized last year, will protect tap water around the U.S. Scrapping the EPA limits could allow PFAS pollution to continue to flow from the taps of nearly 200 water systems across New York and leave the health of residents served by these systems at risk.
The federal standards include first-time limits on thenotorious forever chemicals PFOA and PFOS of 4 parts per trillion, or ppt. They also establish limits on another four types of PFAS.
If the federal rule is rolled back or weakened,New York’s 2020 drinking water standards for the two chemicals would still stand. But these limits are set at 10 ppt – higher than the federal limit and so much less protective of human health.
PFAS are linked to a number of serious health harms, including impairedimmune system response,liver and kidney damage, hormone disruption, developmental andreproductive issues and several types ofcancer.
An estimated 189 New York drinking water systems, serving over 1.3 million people, have had PFOA and PFOS at levels ranging from 4 ppt and 10 ppt between 2023 and 2024. Without federal standards, these systems would no longer be legally required to install treatment technology to remove the cancer-causing PFAS from tap water.
As a result, without the federal standards, PFAS could legally continue to contaminate New York’s water. Communities large and small throughout the state would be affected (seeTable 1).
Table: ‘Forever chemicals’ detected in New York public water systems below state limits but above EPA standards
Some of the largest water systems that would no longer be required to upgrade water treatment infrastructure include those serving Lynbrook, Binghamton and Schenectady.
Many drinking water systems across the state, including Locust Valley had detected unsafe levels of one or more other PFAS chemicals covered by the EPA’s standard, but not covered by New York’s standard, including PFNA, PFHxS or Gen X.
Without the agency’s limits, these systems could fall through the regulatory cracks and avoid any obligation to tackle this contamination.
The new EPA standards give water utilities five years to comply. Smaller drinking water systems, defined as those serving fewer than 3,300 people, can requestan extension of six years.
The EPA also established PFASmonitoring requirements for its standards, but smaller systems are not subject to monitoring as frequently as larger systems.
EWG has no way of knowing if any of the 189 systems identified in this analysis are planning to install or upgrade treatment systems. And systems may already be treating their drinking water for PFAS in compliance with New York state standards but continue to contain PFAS above EPA limits. In such cases, for the utility to comply with EPA standards, it might need to install further protective measures.
Military bases must alsocomply with the federal drinking water standards. Communities whose water has been contaminated by a nearby base rely on these safeguards so they can get clean water from the Department of Defense.
As things now stand, New York’s Fort Drum, which operates as its own water utility serving 34,000 service members and their families, must meet the stricter limits. Rescinding the standards would mean Fort Drum and other military bases in New York wouldno longer be required to follow federal and maybe even state safeguards. A scenario like this could jeopardizethe health of service members and their families.
What’s more, 21 active and former military sites in New York have already found PFAS in their groundwater, which may in turn taint nearby private water wells.
These sites include the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plants at Calverton, in Suffolk County, and Bethpage, in Nassau County. Before the EPA issued its PFAS standards, the Pentagon fought therequirement to clean up the groundwater at contaminated defense sites to New York’s standard of 10 ppt for PFOA and PFOS. In fact, the Navy planned to use 70 ppt, which is an outdated health advisory number established by EPA many years ago.
The DOD has said itwill comply with federal standards for forever chemicals in drinking water as part of its clean up plans. A rollback of those limits could prompt the department to argue it is no long required to clean up groundwater at bases to the 4 ppt standard.
The Pentagon might also push back on any requirement to provide clean drinking water to civilian communities in areas with PFAS contamination that comes from nearby bases, leaving the health of residents in peril.
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Many sources of pollution
The flow of PFOA and PFOS pollution into the state’s water systems will inevitably lead to more frequent doctor visits, cancer treatments and years of chronic illness.
At least 1,213 industrial facilities in the state may be releasing PFAS into the environment, according to anotherEWG analysis.
Widespread PFAS contamination in New York and across the U.S. stems from the many uses of the highly toxic fluorinated chemicals in consumer and industrial products. Companies like to use these substances because of their nonstick and stain-resistance qualities.
Industrial uses aren’t the only source of PFAS pollution. Other threats to New York’s drinking water supply include firefighting foam containing PFAS, used near military facilities and civilian airports, and contaminated wastewater sludge spread on farmland.
Without stronger protections against PFAS in drinking water, polluters will continue to profit from weak regulations that enable contamination, with New Yorkers bearing the serious health consequences. The federal PFAS standard must remain in place, because every American deserves access to clean, safe water.
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Methodology
EWG’s analysis of PFAS detections in New York’s drinking water systems is based on state and federal tests of state water systems. The data was sourced from theNew York Department of Health and the latest reporting by the EPA under itsfifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, or UCMR 5.
Results include samples collected between 2023 and 2024, representing the most recent publicly available information for systems across the datasets.
Maximum values in drinking water for the PFAS regulated by the agency’s standards were identified for systems reporting results during this period. We then identified individual systems with maximum sample values greater than the EPA’s standards but below New York’s.
A single sample over the MCL in a given year would not necessarily mean a system would be in violation for a contaminant. Violations of the federal standards are based on annual averages of results. But single samples detected above the MCL during the course of the year may cause water systems to take corrective actions to avoid violations.
The analysis also includes population data reported by each water system to state and federal regulating agencies. The population values helped EWG determine how many people are affected by PFAS contamination.
It’s important to note that not all water systems have reported under UCMR 5. Additional water systems may test and submit data through the end of the reporting period, in 2026. The UCMR 5 doesn’t require all smaller systems, those serving less than 3,300 people, to report their findings about PFAS contamination.