Cities/Counties with PFOA/PFOS Contamination in Tap Water

When we talk about PFOA/PFOS, we primarily talk about how long-lasting it is, what products it can be found in, and how to prevent your family from exposure. But the scariest thing about PFOA/PFOS is not just how many products they’re found in — it’s also that they’re bioaccumulative. They have an extremely long half-life, so once they’ve been introduced into an environment, they continue to accumulate within your system. In fact, they’re found in so many products and the problem is so widespread, that it can be difficult to know just how far the contamination zones span.

Breaking down the data

Here’s what we do know. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) of 70 parts-per-trillion (ppt) for PFAS’. That’s akin to the size of a single drop of food coloring in 250,000 gallons of water, or one second out of 500 years.

Here’s what we do know. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA has established a Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) of 70 parts-per-trillion (ppt) for PFAS’. That’s akin to the size of a single drop of food coloring in 250,000 gallons of water, or one second out of 500 years.

Nearly all Americans have had some exposure to PFAS (with 6.5 million Americans experiencing adverse effects). PFOA/PFOS have been found in as many as 194 U.S water suppliers across 33 states (including Puerto Rico). Contamination levels are the highest in the mid-Ohio River Valley, with 44 tons released into the air and the Ohio River, and in Michigan.

So where is it located? In a recently released report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), they break down the contaminant, city by city. Here’s the high-level data:

• 172 known PFAS contamination sites across 40 states as of July 2018
• Michigan has the highest levels of PFAS in the U.S.
• According to the American Red Cross, “the blood of the average American has 4,300 parts per trillion, or ppt, of PFOS and 1,100 ppt of PFOA.”

Tracking the Areas affected

With PFOS/PFOA contamination widespread — affecting a known 600 locations across 43 states — it can be hard to pin down exactly which cities are experiencing what. So far, the state of Michigan (where the biggest manufacturer of PFOS/PFOA-laden products is headquartered), the Ohio River Valley (as previously mentioned), and California are the states hit the hardest. Here’s a list of which cities and counties we know have been affected so far (in alphabetical order).

Alabama

• Albertville
• Anon
• Boaz
• Clanton
• Decatur
• Florence
• Fort Payne
• Gadsden
• Prattville
• Rainbow City
• Southside
• Vinemont
• West Point
• Westover

Arizona

• Payson
• Scottsdale
• Tempe
• Tucson
• Yuma

California

• Alameda
• Anaheim
• Atascadero
• Bellflower
• Chico
• Corona
• Dixon
• Downey
• Fullerton
• Garden Grove
• Kern
• Los Angeles
• Montebello
• Monterey Bay
• Norco
• Orange
• Pico Rivera
• Pleasanton
• Port Hueneme
• San Juan Capistrano
• Santa Clarita
• Seal Beach
• Treasure Island
• Tustin
• Twentynine Palms
• Victorville
• Visalia
• Whittier
• Yorba Linda

Colorado

• Colorado Springs
• Denver
• Fountain
• Sugarloaf

Delaware

• Blades
• Dover
• New Castle
• Wilmington

Florida

• Brevard County
• Cape Canaveral
• Defuniak Springs
• Fort Walton Beach
• Jacksonville
• Key West
• Lauderhill
• Merritt Island
• Miami
• Milton
• Ocala
• Okaloosa County
• Pensacola
• Satellite Beach / Cocoa Beach
• Stuart
• Zephyrhills

Georgia

• Calhoun
• Cobb County
• Dalton
• Griffin
• Houston County
• Lowndes County
• Rome

Idaho

• Elmore County

Illinois

• Belvidere
• Bloomington
• Champaign County
• Freeport
• Galenburg

Indiana

• Cass County
• Miami County

Kansas

• Great Bend
• Leavenworth County

Kentucky

• Louisville
• Pendleton County

Louisiana

• Rapides Parish

Maine

• Kittery

Maryland

• Annapolis
• Chesapeake Beach
• Fort Meade
• Harford County
• Silver Spring

Massachusetts

• Abington
• Bedford
• Hyannis/Town of Barnstable
• Joint Base Cape Cod
• Mashpee
• Rockland
• Westfield
• Weymouth

Michigan

• Albion
• Algonac
• Ann Arbor
• Athens
• Baldwin
• Bear Lake
• Blissfield
• Bridgman
• Brighton
• Charlevoix
• Climax
• Concord
• Deerfield
• Edmore
• Escanaba
• Evart
• Fremont
• Frenchtown Township
• Gaylord
• Gladstone
• Grand Haven
• Grand Rapids
• Grayling
• Greenville
• Haring Township
• Hesperia
• Hillsdale
• Houghton
• Huron Shores Regional Utility Authority (Tawas & Oscoda)
• Independence Township
• Ira Township
• Iron Mountain
• Kalamazoo
• Kaleva
• Kingsford
• Kinross Township
• Lake Charter Township
• Lockport Township
• Manistique
• Marine City
• Marysville
• Menominee
• Middleville
• Monroe
• Monroe South County
• Mount Clemens
• Mount Pleasant
• Muskegon
• Muskegon Heights
• New Baltimore
• New Buffalo
• Newaygo
• Northport
• Otsego
• Parchment
• Plainfield Township
• Plainwell
• Port Huron
• Portage
• Portland
• Richmond Township
• Saginaw-Midland Municipal Water Supply Corp
• Sheridan
• Sherman Township
• Sims-Whitney Utility Authority
• South Haven
• Sparta
• Springport
• St. Clair
• St. Clair County Water & Sewer Authority
• St. Joseph
• Union Township
• Waterford Township
• Wyoming

Mississippi

• Gulfport
• Kemper County
• Lauderdale County

Minnesota

• Anoka
• Bemidji
• Camp Galilee
• Cottage Grove
• Escanaba
• Fridley
• Gladstone
• Hastings
• Houghton
• Iron Mountain
• Manistique
• Oakdale
• Sherman Township
• South Saint Paul
• Woodbury

Missouri

• Kansas City

New Hampshire

• Amherst
• Bedford
• Hampton/North Hampton
• Litchfield
• Portsmouth
• Windham

New Jersey

• Atlantic City
• Colts Neck Township
• Deepwater
• Ewing Township
• Fair Lawn
• Garfield
• Middlesex
• Orange
• Paulsboro
• South Orange
• Trenton
• Wallington

New York

• East Hampton
• Farmingdale
• Hampton Bays
• Hempstead
• Nassau
• Nassau County
• Newburgh
• Plainview
• Plattsburgh
• Port Washington
• Rensselaer County
• Rome
• Seneca County
• Suffolk County
• Taconic
• Verona
• Westchester County
• Yaphank

North Carolina

• Albemarle
• Atlantic
• Dunn
• Durham
• Fayetteville
• Fuquay-Varina
• Greensboro
• Holly Springs
• Sanford
• Wilmington
• Wrightsville Beach

Ohio

• Athens County
• Montgomery County
• Washington County

Oklahoma

• Jackson County
• Oklahoma City

Oregon

• Portland

Pennsylvania

• Dauphin County
• East Rockhill & West Rockhill
• Franklin County
• Lower Swatara Township
• Morristown
• Upper Dublin Township
• Willow Grove

Rhode Island

• Newport County
• Westerly

South Carolina

• Myrtle Beach

South Dakota

• Box Elder
• Pierre

Tennessee

• Millington

Texas

• Abilene
• Austin
• Dallas
• El Campo
• Nueces County
• Port Lavaca
• San Antonio

Utah

• Ogden

Vermont

• Bennington/North Bennington
• Chittenden County
• Clarendon
• Pownal

Virginia

• Chesapeake
• Hampton
• Norfolk
• Richmond
• Virginia Beach

Washington

• Airway Heights
• Bellevue
• Dupont
• Issaquah
• Kirkland
• Redmond
• Tukwila
• Whidbey Island

Wisconsin

• Madison
• Menominee
• Milwaukee
• Peshtigo

West Virginia

• Martinsburg
• Parkersburg