CT PFAS FAQs

What is PFAS?

Throughout the northeast and across the nation, state and local officials, health departments, and water utilities–including Aquarion—have focused their attention on a group of human-made chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

PFAS are a family of chemicals widely used since the 1950s to manufacture common consumer products, and are also used in firefighting foams. These substances have been detected in drinking waters, including public and private water supplies, bottled water, consumer products, food, and cookware. They have been linked to a variety of health risks, particularly in women who are pregnant or nursing, and in infants.

Connecticut PFAS Action Plan

In recognition of the growing concern about PFAS, Aquarion voluntarily began a PFAS testing program in 2019 for our 72 public water systems in Connecticut. The test results are shown below and show a range of PFAS concentrations from not detected to 31 ppt for five chemicals. These results are all well under the DPH and EPA advisory limit of 70 ppt. These PFAS limits may be subject to change in the future.

In November 2019, Governor Lamont announced that the Connecticut Interagency PFAS Task Force had developed a PFAS Action Plan. One of the Action Plan’s key recommendations is to test drinking water for PFAS. We believe the results from our PFAS testing program will help the State achieve implementation of the PFAS Action Plan.

Resources

The Connecticut Inter-agency PFAS Action Plan (pdf)

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Appendix – The Connecticut Inter-agency PFAS Action Plan (pdf)

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DPH Drinking Water Section STRATEGY – PFAS in Public Drinking Water Systems (pdf)

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Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Drinking Water: Health Concerns FAQs (pdf)

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Our Testing Results

In addition to the water testing in 2019 and 2020, Aquarion also inspected land use activities around each of our water supplies and found no high-risk contamination sources such as industrial, commercial, and municipal activities that might release high levels of PFAS to the environment.

Aquarion will remain vigilant about this important issue, including additional testing for PFAS at some of our water sources. We will continue to share test results with our customers and state and local officials. We will also continue to work with the public health agencies and drinking water associations to ensure the protection of our drinking water supplies, and delivery of high-quality water to our customers.

Below are additional information links on PFAS and Aquarion's PFAS sampling results by town/water system.