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06/27/2024
Update for Private Well Owners Who Participated in MassDEP's Free PFAS Sampling Program
2020 - 2022
MHOA is passing along the the information below from DEP. If you have questions, please contact DEP.
June 6, 2024
IMPORTANT UPDATE
For Private Well Owners who Participated in MassDEP’s 2020-2022
Free PFAS Sampling Program
Re: New EPA PFAS Drinking Water Standards
Dear Private Well Owner:
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) last contacted you in August 2023 to inform you that United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) planned to issue standards for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water for public water suppliers, and to provide you with information about how to reduce PFAS in your private well drinking water. This letter is a follow up to inform you that in April 2024, the EPA announced new, final drinking water standards for six PFAS for public water supplies.
These federal standards, and any subsequent state PFAS standards updated by MassDEP, apply only to public water supplies. As you know, private drinking water wells are regulated by your local Board of Health.
Although the standards do not apply to private wells, MassDEP wants to ensure private well owners have the tools to consider the concentrations of PFAS in their water supplies as compared to the limits that EPA has set for public systems.
For your information, EPA’s new standards—called Maximum Contaminant Levels —for public water suppliers are provided in the table below.
EPA’s New Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs)
|
PFAS |
Maximum Contaminant Level |
|
|
PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) |
4.0 parts per trillion (ppt) or nanograms per liter (ng/L) |
|
|
PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) |
4.0 ppt |
|
|
PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid) |
10 ppt |
|
|
PFHxS (perfluorohexane sulfonic acid) |
10 ppt |
|
|
GenX chemicals (HFPO-DA) |
10 ppt |
|
|
Mixture of 2 or more |
PFNA |
1 (unitless)
*Refer to the MassDEP PFAS in Private Wells FAQ linked in the RESOURCES section of this letter for information on how to calculate the Hazard Index |
|
PFHxS |
||
|
GenX |
||
|
PFBS (Perfluorobutane sulfonate) |
||
What Private Well Owners Can Do
MassDEP previously sent the PFAS laboratory results for your well to both you and your local Board of Health. You may wish to compare the concentrations of PFAS in your drinking water from your most recent PFAS laboratory results to EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Levels and consider the information previously provided to you by MassDEP with your results. If you need a copy of your results and the information previously provided to you, please contact your local Board of Health or the MassDEP Drinking Water Program at the contact information provided below.
All private well owners are encouraged to review MassDEP’s Private Well Guidelines (see link below) for more information on water quality sampling and treatment. You may also wish to check with your local Board of Health to determine if any local regulations apply. Local private wells in Massachusetts are not required to comply with EPA or MassDEP drinking water quality standards unless required to do so by the local Board of Health.
Links to additional information from the EPA and MassDEP are provided in the “RESOURCES” section at the end of this letter.
Please be aware that MassDEP is receiving requests for the locational information associated with the 2020-2022 Free PFAS Sampling Program specific sampling results. Under the Massachusetts Public Records Law, under certain circumstances, MassDEP is required to provide this information.
If you have any questions, please contact your local Board of Health or the MassDEP Drinking Water Program at program.director-dwp@mass.gov, Subject: Private Well PFAS Information.
Sincerely,
Yvette DePeiza
Yvette DePeiza
Program Director
MassDEP Drinking Water Program
Cc: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Local Boards of Health
RESOURCES:
- MassDEP PFAS in Private Wells FAQ (including how to calculate the Hazard Index): https://www.mass.gov/info-details/pfas-in-private-well-drinking-water-supplies-faq
- USEPA Fact Sheet: Reducing PFAS in Your Drinking Water with a Home Filter: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/water-filter-fact-sheet.pdf
- USEPA PFAS Information: https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
- MassDEP PFAS Information: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
- MassDEP Private Well Information: https://www.mass.gov/private-wells
MassDEP PFAS Private Well Sampling Map: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/pfas-in-private-well-drinking-water-supplies-faq#pfas-testing-in-private-wells-
