PFAS

How can PFAS get into the water supply?

These chemicals may enter the water cycle in a number of different ways since PFAS has been so widely used historically in a variety of different products, including:

• Firefighting foam,
• Cookware,
• Water-resistant clothing,
• Certain food packaging such as fast food wrappers or microwave popcorn bags,
• Personal care products like certain shampoos, dental floss, and cosemetics,
• and more

PFAS is detected through laboratory testing. The City of Lawrence most recently tested for PFAS as a part of the UCMR #5 on a quarterly basis in 2023.

Learn more about the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule #5 data and visit the EPA’s PFAS Resource page for more information.

How is PFAS in drinking water regulated?

Because the chemicals are in so many products used every day and don’t break down on their own, surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that most people in the United States have been exposed to some PFAS. Current scientific research suggests exposure to high levels of certain PFAS may lead to adverse health outcomes; more research is underway.

At the same time, a spotlight has been put on the water and wastewater industries to remove these widely used chemicals from our environment, even the trace amounts that may appear in the water system.

In April 2024, the EPA finalized the first-ever national standard to limit PFAS in drinking water. The finalized standard covered six PFAS compounds, with limits set for PFOA and PFOS, and a combined limit for the other four compounds (PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX). Learn more here.

The EPA’s finalized PFAS regulation would require public water systems to:

• Monitor for six specific PFAS compounds in our drinking water.
• Notify the public if the levels of the six regulated PFAS compounds are above EPA’s regulatory limits.
• Reduce the levels of these six PFAS compounds in drinking water if test results are above the EPA’s regulatory limits.

Learn more about the EPA’s finalized regulations for PFAS in drinking water. 

What is the City of Lawrence doing about PFAS in the water? 

The City of Lawrence’s Municipal Services & Operations Department is testing for PFAS as a part of our scheduled testing. We are looking at active levels of PFAS and making treatment changes as needed to remain below the proposed regulatory levels set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We will continue to test for PFAS as required, and those results will be included in our Consumer Confidence Reports that are published each year.

There are no known sources of PFAS in Lawrence. Any concentrations of PFAS that the water treatment division finds reflect what is already currently present in our source water.

Learn more about the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule #5 data.

The City of Lawrence has detected 2 out of 29 PFAS compounds that were tested during UCMR 5, PFBA and PFHxS. PFBA has no current regulated level, and detections of PFHxS are under the level deemed hazardous in drinking water by the EPA. The City is actively exploring options for further reduction of these compounds through water treatment optimizations. For additional information, please see the annual Consumer Confidence Report.

Do at-home water filters remove PFAS?

The NSF published a list of recommended filters for PFAS reduction.

According to the NSF, the water filters that are the most effective for PFAS are reverse osmosis filters, which are typically more expensive. Granular activated carbon filters are more commonly seen and less expensive by comparison, but they are not as effective or consistent for PFAS removal.

The NSF warns that users should regularly change their water filters. If not, filters can become saturated and the levels of PFAS in the filtered water can actually be above the concentrations in the tap water.

The EPA also has recommendations for customers looking to reduce exposure to PFAS with home water filters, more information is available here.

How can I get updated information about PFAS?

For more resources and information on PFAS, please visit:

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – PFAS
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment – PFAS