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Lubbock council approves $572,802.90 purchase of lab equipment to monitor PFAS in drinking water
Summary
City council unanimously approved a purchase order for a triple-quadrupole liquid chromatograph–mass spectrophotometer so the city can begin required monitoring for PFAS in drinking water under newly proposed EPA rules.
The Lubbock City Council on Feb. 25 approved a purchase order to buy a triple-quadrupole liquid chromatograph–mass spectrophotometer so the city can test drinking water for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
The purchase — funded from the utilities/water budget — is for $572,802.90 and will place the instrument in the city’s North Water Treatment Plant laboratory, where city staff will operate it, the council was told.
Council members pulled the item from the consent agenda for explanation after seeing the technical name and price. A staff member described the equipment to the council, saying, “This is the purchase of … a triple quadrupole liquid chromatograph mass spectrophotometer. This is to enable us to test for forever chemicals … PFAS.” The staff member said the instrument is needed because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is establishing nationwide enforceable drinking-water standards and requires municipalities to begin initial monitoring for PFAS between 2024 and 2027, with monitoring results to appear in annual water-quality reports beginning in 2027.
Why buy the machine now? The staff member explained the new EPA rules use measurements in parts per trillion — extremely low concentrations — and the city needs laboratory capability to detect PFAS at those levels. The staff member added the instrument will be owned and operated by the city and housed at the North Water Treatment Plant laboratory.
Council members approved the purchase unanimously after the explanation.
The item was discussed in the context of broader water-quality oversight and new federal monitoring requirements; no citizen speakers addressed this specific purchase during the meeting.
