Drinking water certified clean and safe; PWSA focused on PFAS

Drinking water consumed by Prince William County residents received a clean bill of health.

The Prince William County Service Authority recently published its 2022 Water Quality Reports, which provide essential information about the source and characteristics of the utility’s drinking water. The EPA requires the annual reports available on the Prince William Service Authority’s website.

The report from the Prince Wiliam Service Authority outlines data from 2021, the most recent regulatory period. It details the number of regulated substances, like fluoride, barium, and metals in the water and the amount of chlorine used to disinfect the water supply.

“The Service Authority is meeting all required testing, all federal guidelines, and the water is considered safe to drink,” said John DeRosa, regulatory officer for the Prince William Service Authority.

Each of the Service Authority’s four distribution systems – East, West, Hoadly Manor, Bull Run Mountain, and Evergreen – has its own Water Quality Report.

Except for drinking water in the Bull Run Mountain and Evergreen communities, the drinking water distributed by the Service Authority is sourced from the Potomac River, Occoquan Reservoir, and Lake Manassas.

While most of the drinking water the Service Authority provides to customers is treated at facilities owned and operated by Fairfax Water, many customers in the county’s western end receive some water treated at the City of Manassas Water Treatment Plant.

Customers in the Bull Run Mountain and Evergreen communities receive their water from six public groundwater wells located throughout the area.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Waterworks Regulations require all water utilities to produce annual water quality reports.

Meanwhile, the Service Authority is working to identify the source of PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the water supply. While lower than many other water systems at nine parts per trillion (EPA suggests a limit of 70 parts per trillion), the utility is working to find the source of the pollutants.

PFAS is a class of more than 6,000 artificial chemicals used to manufacture various industrial and household products designed to resist heat, water, oil, and stains. Many products are made with PFAS, including non-stick cookware, food packaging, degreaser, personal care products, and water-resistant apparel.

The chemicals enter the water system through stormwater runoff. De Rosa says they’re expensive to remove through water filtration processes like reverse osmosis.

“The levels are so low here, it’s difficult for our technology to detect them,” said DeRosa.

Service Authority customers with questions about water quality or who want a printed copy of their Water Quality Report may contact the Service Authority’s Regulatory Affairs Office at 703-331-4162 or [email protected].