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Utilities director says Sioux City water meets standards; PFAS detection at Southbridge prompts planning for new collector well or treatment
Summary
Utilities Director Brad Pitts reported Sioux City's drinking water met state and federal regulations for 2025–2026 but said PFAS (PFOA ~7.3, PFOS ~4.6 average recent months at Southbridge) requires planning; staff is pursuing a new collector-well study and may design treatment if needed to meet the EPA's 2024 PFAS MCLs.
Utilities Director Brad Pitts told the council July 13 that Sioux City's drinking-water systems met all state and federal regulations for 2025 and 2026 and provided an overview of treatment processes and monitoring. He said arsenic, radium and nitrate results were well below MCLs and that the city's disinfection byproduct numbers were managed through operational controls.
Pitts reported PFAS detection localized to the Southbridge plant, with six-month averages of about PFOA 7.3 parts-per-trillion and PFOS 4.6 parts-per-trillion; he noted the EPA established much lower MCLs in 2024 (PFOA/PFOS ~4 ppt) compared with earlier guidance. The city is under contract with Black & Veatch to study new collector-well sites and will pursue an activated-carbon treatment system if a clean collector well is not feasible; staff said compliance deadlines are currently 2029 and they intend to apply for any available extensions while pursuing funding.
Pitts emphasized testing protocols and public notification compliance, and told residents the city is actively evaluating options to meet new standards while minimizing service disruption.
