Infrastructure and PFAS Treatment Upgrades Underway in Bakersfield

Cal Water has begun construction to install treatment on a Bakersfield well to meet the state’s new water quality standard for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Construction is scheduled to be completed in February 2025, well in advance of the five-year deadline that utilities were given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in April 2024 to comply with the new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for these PFAS.

Crews are installing granular-activated carbon treatment and associated site piping on the Bakersfield well.

“Our team is hard at work to bring any affected sources into compliance with the new maximum contaminate levels (MCLs) sooner than required because, above all, protecting our customers’ health and safety is our highest priority,” said Tammy Johnson, District Manager of Cal Water’s Bakersfield 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 MCLs 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, Johnson said. As a result, Cal Water is well-positioned to treat any water sources needed across Bakersfield within the compliance timeframe, she added.