To lower your exposure to PFAS, you can treat your drinking water if PFAS levels are above the Environmental Protection Agency PFAS Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs).
There are two kinds of systems treat for PFAS:
Consuming water with PFAS (for example, drinking, cooking, making ice and baby formula) is a bigger health concern than using the water to wash your hands, shower, bathe or other means of skin contact.
A POET system is the preferred option to remove PFAS from your water. This is because it treats all the water used in your home, including water to bathroom fixtures and hoses for watering your garden. However, a POET system can be very expensive. If a POET system is not an option for you, a POU system can be a cost-effective and simple treatment solution.
A POU system only treats the water you use for drinking, cooking, and making ice and baby formula. If you choose a POU system, it’s important to limit the amount of water that children drink while playing in the bathtub, and be aware that the hose water you use for your garden will not be treated for PFAS.
Consider the cost of testing, maintaining and replacing components (for example, filters) before deciding on a treatment option.
For private wells and springs: Test your water using the Vermont Homeowners Testing Package before installing a treatment system for PFAS. The results can help tell you which system will work best for your water. Plus, the results will show whether you need to “pretreat” your water for other contaminants (for example, arsenic, uranium or gross alpha) before it can be treated for PFAS.
For all treatment systems, you must maintain the system and replace the filters regularly. Be sure to do what the manufacturer's instructions say, or what a water treatment specialist advised you to do. If you do not, the system will not work properly and will not remove PFAS from your water as effectively.
A POU system is typically installed under or near your kitchen sink to treat the water you use for drinking, cooking, and making ice and baby formula. These systems have proven to work well in homes served by either public or private water and operate on a single tap.
Remember that not all the water in your home is treated for PFAS. This means it’s important to limit the amount of water that children drink while playing in the bathtub, and be aware that the hose water you use for your garden will not be treated for PFAS.
NSF-certified GAC treatment products can lower levels of PFAS in drinking water. These are labeled as NSF/ANSI 53 certified and claim to remove PFOA/PFOS to 70 ppt. (Note that current certification standards for PFAS removal (as of April 2024) do not yet indicate that a product will remove PFAS down to the levels EPA has now set for a drinking water standard.) You can find a list of GAC treatment products below.
For private wells or springs:
The Health Department has compiled a list of POU water treatment products that have been shown to remove PFAS from drinking water to below detection levels, which can be as low as 0.9 ppt.
Please note:
A POET system treats all the water in your home. The system you install depends on whether you are on public water (you get a water bill) or private water (you are on a well or spring). In both cases, you should contact a certified water treatment specialist to install a system for your home.
If you have a treatment system or filter already, it is a good idea to check to see if it is NSF-certified for PFAS removal. Many carbon filters that NSF/ANSI 53 certification have been shown to remove PFAS.
If you are on a private well or spring, a multistage carbon-based POET system is the preferred option to remove PFAS from your water. During the PFOA response in Southern Vermont in 2016, the State used this POET system to treat water from contaminated wells, which other New England states have also used. It is effective at removing PFAS to non-detectable levels.
However, because this system uses granular activated carbon (GAC) filters, it is not effective at reducing contaminants that can be found in water in Vermont like arsenic, uranium, nitrate or manganese.
Learn about testing your well or spring
This treatment system is not sold as a single off-the-shelf product. You will need to contact a certified water treatment specialist who will be able to design and build the system. The specialist will also tell you how to maintain the system and how often to change the filters.
A multistage carbon-based POET system typically uses these parts:
A variety of whole-home granular activated carbon (GAC) filters are available, but it can be helpful to consult with a water treatment specialist to help you determine the size, and type of system that makes the most sense given your circumstances and water quality.
Please note that if your water is serving a school, business, or commercial area that provides water to more than 25 people, you will need to get a permit before installing a POET system. Contact the DEC Public Drinking Water Program for more information.
