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Infrastructure Upgrade to Improve Supply Reliability and Water Quality with PFAS Treatment in Chico
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Posted: January 30, 2025

Cal Water will begin installing treatment on a Chico well to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) adoption of a new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Construction is scheduled to begin in February and be completed this summer, well in advance of the five-year deadline that utilities were given by the EPA in April 2024 to comply with the new regulation for these PFAS.

Crews will install granular-activated carbon treatment equipment and associated site piping at an existing well site in southern Chico that has been offline, where another constituent, carbon tetrachloride (CTC), was detected. The equipment will treat for both constituents, allowing Cal Water to bring the well back online.

“Our team is hard at work to bring any affected sources into compliance with the new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for these PFAS sooner than required because, above all, protecting our customers’ health and safety is our highest priority,” said Evan Markey, District Manager of Cal Water’s Chico District. “This improvement will enhance water quality, along with supply and system reliability for both everyday and emergency needs.”

Generally, PFAS are manmade compounds that are found in a number of everyday products; these compounds are soluble in water and can travel long distances. Under the new PFAS regulation, EPA established maximum contaminant levels (MCL) of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for both PFOA and PFOS; MCLs of 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX; and a combined Hazard Index of 1.0 for PFBS, PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX. Under the new PFAS regulation, water utilities across the country are required to monitor for these PFAS by 2027, and impacted water systems must comply with the MCLs and Hazard Index by 2029.

Cal Water regularly assesses the water quality of its existing supply sources and began monitoring all of its active water sources for these PFAS prior to the EPA ruling, Markey said. As a result, Cal Water is well-positioned to treat any water sources needed across Chico within the compliance timeframe, he added.

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