AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Water recently released the results of its Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, water quality tests.

The utility said the results showed little to no traces of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – or PFAS – chemicals in the city’s drinking water.

According to public EPA information, PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” are manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s. Austin Water said in a release the EPA is currently evaluating exposure to PFAS in drinking water to provide guidance on which chemicals pose health risks and at what levels.

PFAS chemicals do not originate at Austin Water and can be present in water, air, fish, and soil at locations across the United States and throughout the world, according to the release.

The EPA has a rule called UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5) that requires drinking water providers like Austin Water to measure the level of 29 specific PFAS chemicals, six of which are proposed for upcoming regulation. The EPA will use the results to determine future regulations surrounding PFAS.

Austin Water conducted its first round of quarterly PFAS sampling in October 2023. Those test results were verified by the EPA and are publicly available to view on the EPA’s website and the City of Austin’s.

Austin Water is waiting for analysis and EPA review on a second round of water samples that were taken this quarter. The utility said test results and verification take approximately 90 days, and two additional rounds of PFAS testing will be conducted by the end of the year.

The results from the October testing showed the following specifics:

• Treated tap water from all three Water Treatment Plants was non-detect for the six PFAS compounds currently proposed for regulation by the EPA.
• Of the 29 PFAS compounds tested, only Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) was detected in the range of 5-8 parts per trillion, or the equivalent of a few drops of water in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• PFBA is not currently proposed for regulation, and the EPA has not set a health advisory level for this compound. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, PFBA has been commonly found in PFAS samples around the state. 

The utility said Austin’s water supply benefits from “many environmental protections that have been in place for decades like the Lower Colorado River Authority’s Clean Rivers Program and area watershed land and water use regulations.” Austin Water said as a result, the Highland Lakes, which are the source of Austin’s drinking water, are less impacted by industries and activities that produce the contaminants.

“Austin Water has been following EPA’s rule proposal on PFAS closely to determine the most appropriate testing protocols and treatment options to ensure that we continue to meet federal and state drinking water standards,” said the utility’s Water Quality Manager, Kasi Clay. She also explained that Austin’s drinking water supply remains at a lower level of risk for PFAS contamination.

“Austinites should be proud of the environmental protections that have been place for decades to protect our water quality at the source,” said Interim City Manager Jesús Garza. “These regional efforts to reduce the presence of pollutants in the Highland Lakes continue to protect our community today.”