PFAS Testing and Assistance Program

On April 10, 2024  the EPA finalized Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) establishing legally enforceable regulations for six PFAS. MCLs are standards that public water systems have to meet.  MCLs account for health information, available testing technology, treatment techniques, and costs. Table 1 below shows the six PFAS that have MCLs.

If you would like to learn more about the regulations for PFAS, the EPA also provided resources, like this fact sheet and frequently asked questions and answers document. You can view that information here. 

Table 1: Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for six PFAS in drinking water

PFAS with individual MCLs

As shown above, five PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX) are regulated as separate contaminants with individual MCLs.  

• For example, if the PFOA level in drinking water is 4.1 ng/ L, it is above the MCL for PFOA of 4.0 ng/L. This means that public water systems are required to take action to lower PFAS levels.  
• Private wells are not regulated like public water systems. If the PFAS levels are above any of the MCLs, we recommend reducing exposure by using at-home water filters or an alternate source of water for drinking and cooking.

PFAS Mixture

Another type of PFAS, PFBS, is regulated as part of a mixture. The mixture calculation includes PFBS and three other PFAS (PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX). Following EPA guidance, CDPHE uses a hazard index tool to look at the health risks of exposure to this PFAS mixture. The limit for this hazard index is 1.

• A hazard index below 1 means exposure to the mixture of PFAS is not expected to increase the risk of health effects.
• A hazard index above 1 means exposure to the mixture of PFAS has potential to increase the risk of health effects.
  • Private wells are not regulated like public water systems. If the PFAS levels are above any of the MCLs, including the hazard index, we recommend reducing exposure by using at-home water filters or an alternate source of water for drinking and cooking.
• For example, if the hazard index from the combined levels of PFNA, PFHxS, GenX, and PFBS in drinking water is 0.2, then the levels are below the mixture MCL. This means results are below the hazard index of 1 and are not expected to increase the risk of adverse health effects.

If you would like to see the example calculation of the hazard index from the EPA, use this fact sheet. 

• Filters meet NSF standards to reduce PFAS levels by >99%. Reducing exposure to PFAS reduces the risk of potential health impacts. 
• In addition to removing PFAS, these filters also remove several other common well-water contaminants such as heavy metals, E.coli/bacteria, and nitrates. 
• Used filters can be returned to the manufacturer to be recycled. 
• An automated reminder for changing the filter. 
• Using a pitcher filter for your drinking water reduces exposure to PFAS and other contaminants but does not require costly changes to household plumbing. 
• Please note: These filters will remove naturally occurring fluoride. Talk to your dentist about ways to get fluoride to protect oral health.

Private well owners in Bailey (ZIP code 08421) whose water was tested for PFAS and who meet both of the following criteria: 

1. The amount of PFOS or PFOA in your well is higher than 4 ppt (parts per trillion, this is the same as ng/L). 
2. Your household income is at or below 80% of the median income for Park County, shown in the table below. 

Households in Bailey that do not qualify for a free filter can buy the filter system at a 30% discount. That works out to approximately $145 for a pitcher and one year of filter replacements. If you participated in PFAS TAP your results letter will include a discount code.

Different filters remove different contaminants, so we don’t know whether your existing filter will remove PFAS. 

• When shopping for a filter, look for manufacturers that have demonstrated the water filter can remove PFAS to non-detectable levels. 
• Reverse osmosis and granular activated carbon filters can remove PFAS as long as you follow filter maintenance guidelines. 
• The Water Quality Association (WQA) maintains a list of products that are certified to remove various contaminants from drinking water. 
  • You can search through the products and check if your filter is certified via the Water Quality Association's Certified Drinking Water Unit search tool. 
• Consult with a water quality professional to ensure your drinking water filtration system is appropriate for the contaminants and quality of your water.

Will there be financial resources for whole-house filtration systems in the future?

• PFAS TAP only provides water filtration pitchers, not whole-house filtration systems. Water pitchers have advantages over whole-house filtration systems.
• Because you only filter the water you intend to use for cooking and drinking, the pitchers can help save money and reduce waste. Because PFAS do not easily enter the body through the skin, filtration is not necessary for activities like showering and bathing. 
  • Whole-house filtration systems can be expensive to purchase and install. Furthermore, excessive water use from whole-house filtration systems increase water consumption and may lower the water table in an area where a lot of households use them. 

Learn more about reducing your exposure to PFAS in drinking water by using at-home water filtration here.

PFAS have been extensively used in consumer and industrial products since the 1950s. The chemicals can migrate into the soil, water, and air. PFAS can come from many sources, and we don’t have enough information to determine the specific source or sources in Park County.

CDPHE selected Bailey as the location for the pilot project because:

• Between 2022 and 2023, CDPHE sampling efforts in Bailey (Park County, Colorado) detected levels of PFAS over the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) in 8 of 15 private wells and the untreated groundwater wells of two schools. The schools already had treatment to address PFAS in drinking water. 
• Bailey has many private wells and there is a lot of community interest in private well testing in this area. 
• The source of PFAS in this area is unknown. Additional and more widespread sampling will improve our understanding of the potential source and allow for more targeted recommendations to residents on testing and treatment.