State Water Board briefing: midpoint of statewide PFAS testing finds mixed detections in disadvantaged‑community wells

The State Water Resources Control Board on Aug. 6 received a midterm briefing on a statewide PFAS testing program that has sampled about 2,500 of 3,600 disadvantaged‑community wells and found PFAS signals across multiple laboratory methods, Division of Drinking Water officials said.

The testing is funded and authorized under Assembly Bill 178 and carried out under a 2024 DDW sampling order that targets wells in disadvantaged communities statewide. Board staff said the work is intended to inform how the state regulates PFAS and to identify treatment and response needs in small and vulnerable systems.

Dan Newton, assistant deputy director for DDW’s Northern Field Branch, described the effort as a broad, statewide cross section rather than monitoring only near known release sites. “PFAS is a four‑letter acronym, but it is a class of chemicals that is over 10,000 strong,” Newton said, and the project combines targeted chemical tests, an absorbable organic fluorine (AOF) total‑mass proxy, ultra‑short PFAS testing, and non‑targeted analysis (NTA) developed with EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) assistance.

Key findings and context

- Scope and pace: The 2024 disadvantaged‑community order covers 3,600 wells; staff reported roughly 70% complete (about 2,500 wells sampled) and a sampling pace of roughly 156 wells per month across about 40 water systems. Contractors include Sacramento State (Office of Water Programs), Geosyntec (field sampling), and Babcock (lab services); EPA ORD provided method development support.

- Targeted tests (EPA method 533):…