Yes. In 2013, SUB first tested for PFAS under the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. EPA uses this rule to gather data on contaminants suspected to be in drinking water but that lack health-based standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). SUB did not have detections of any PFAS chemicals in 2013. Analytical methods have improved considerably since then. For example, in 2013, laboratory tests could detect PFAS chemical concentrations of 10 parts per trillion (ppt) or greater; detection limits are now as low as 2 ppt. Moreover, the number of individual chemicals the labs can test for has increased substantially. The result is that water utilities can now detect a greater variety of chemicals and at exceptionally low levels.
In May of 2019, in response to new revelations about PFAS contamination in other parts of the country, SUB developed a voluntary sampling plan for all of its groundwater sources. Samples were analyzed for 18 different PFAS chemicals, the maximum possible with laboratory methods available at that time. Of the 27 SUB-owned wells tested, two wells--SP and Sports Way, which are used intermittently during summer months--yielded detectable, but extremely low, levels of four PFAS compounds.
SUB continued voluntary sampling through 2024 and, in 2025, again sampled under the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, which analyzes for 29 compounds. SUB’s PFAS data are available in our annual water quality reports.
Starting in 2026, SUB will adjust the timing and frequency of its sampling program to meet the requirements established by EPA’s new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS, which the EPA announced on April 10, 2024. SUB will complete initial monitoring under this new rule in 2027.