About Water
About Wastewater
Our state-certified laboratory tests for over 100 different substances in the water we provide to customers. Lab staff also conduct thousands of analyses each year to ensure our wastewater discharge meets all state and federal standards. Only then do we allow it to return to the environment. Our cross connection control staffers inspect back-flow prevention installations to ensure drinking water is not compromised by contamination.
The annual water quality report (pdf) gives yearly updates on Durham’s drinking water and treatment processes. We also prepare an annual sewer system report that explains the city’s wastewater treatment and collection system performance. The annual sewer report (pdf) is also available online.
Please call 919-560-4381 to request copies of either report or for more information about water treatment or water reclamation (wastewater treatment).
What are PFAS? Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of man-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about PFAS.
Statement on pfas by City of Durham Department of Water Management
Drinking water quality—a national focus
The Department of Water Management (Durham Water) is in the business of protecting public health—our drinking water is safe, high-quality, and meets all regulatory standards. On June 15, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new health advisory levels to manage the risk for a group of man-made chemicals in drinking water called PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).
We want to explain EPA’s action and share Durham Water’s approach and what we have done to date.
What are PFAS compounds?
PFAS is a class of chemicals widely used in the manufacturing of carpets, clothing, fabrics for furniture, paper packaging for food and other materials since the 1940s. They are also used for firefighting and industrial processes. The EPA says most people are exposed to these chemicals through consumer products. Drinking water can be an additional source of exposure in communities where these chemicals have entered the water supply.
EPA develops and regulates the safe levels for hundreds of compounds in drinking water. Currently, there is no federal regulation for PFAS.
PFAS are a large family of compounds—up to 5,000 chemicals. EPA is focused on a small number of these compounds that may have health effects at very low concentrations, two of which are Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS).
The EPA says most uses of PFOA and PFOS were voluntarily phased out by U.S. manufacturers in the mid-2000s. There are a limited number of ongoing uses, and these chemicals remain in the environment due to their persistence and the inability to degrade. This is why these compounds are often referred to as forever chemicals.
What is the EPA’s Health Advisory Level and what does it mean?
It can be a lengthy process to set drinking water regulations. With science, there’s no such thing as zero, so research is important to determine an acceptable risk level for public health. A health advisory level is commonly a first step in EPA developing a regulation.
On June 15, 2022, the EPA set new Interim Health Advisory Levels for PFOA at 0.004 parts per trillion and 0.02 parts per trillion for PFOS. These are microscopic levels, trace amounts. For perspective, 1 part per trillion is equal to 1 drop in 500,000 barrels of water. These new health advisories are also below current reliable detection abilities of most scientific equipment (Scientists can currently detect PFAS compounds at 2 parts per trillion.)
Health advisories are not enforceable like regulations. Instead, the advisories are interim guidance until EPA develops a formal regulation. The health advisory level is the minimum concentration of a compound which may present health risks to an individual over a lifetime of exposure. Because there is uncertainty about the health effects associated with long-term exposure to compounds, EPA sets lower level health advisories. Sometimes, the advisory is lower than current analytical methods can detect.
EPA first issued a health advisory level for PFOA and PFOS in 2016 at 70 parts per trillion. Based on additional research, EPA has now issued the health advisory guidance for lower levels.
What are the levels in Durham’s drinking water?
Durham Water samples our source waters and the treated drinking water leaving our treatment plants. We test the tap water quarterly for PFAS chemicals; the following levels are averages based on quarterly samples taken from February 2018 through February 2022:
Brown Water Treatment Plant
PFAS Compound | Durham Water Monitoring Averages | EPA Health Advisory Level |
PFOA | 4.0 parts per trillion | .004 parts per trillion |
PFOS | 6.3 parts per trillion | .02 parts per trillion |
Williams Water Treatment Plant
PFAS Compound | Durham Water Monitoring Averages | EPA Health Advisory Level |
PFOA | 4.0 parts per trillion | .004 parts per trillion |
PFOS | 6.4 parts per trillion | .02 parts per trillion |
The other PFAS compounds for which EPA issued health advisory levels include hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), otherwise known as “GenX,” and Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS). Our monitoring results indicate levels that are well below the health advisory levels:
PFAS Compound | Durham Water Monitoring Averages | EPA Health Advisory Level |
GenX | Non-detectable with current analytical methods | 10 parts per trillion |
PFBS | 5.6 parts per trillion at both the Brown and Williams water treatment plants | 2,000 parts per trillion |
What is Water Management doing about PFAS?
We recognize the average level of PFOA in our monitoring is above the EPA’s new health advisory levels. Many water service providers across the country are facing the same challenges as Durham Water. That’s why research is a priority. We need to learn more, specifically through:
- Ongoing monitoring to identify any patterns (seasonal, etc.)
- Researching established and emerging treatment options
- Developing practical and feasible strategies to reduce levels of PFAS as EPA develops and finalizes future drinking water standards
We will also be working with our regional partners and with state agencies to address the issue of PFAS. The lower the level, the lower the risk and as always, public health and the quality of your drinking water is our top priority.
We are always available to talk about how we produce and deliver your drinking water and the steps we take to meet all state and federal water quality standards. Durham Water is proud to have won three consecutive Best Tasting Water in North Carolina awards, and we are working diligently to focus on this new guidance to keep providing our customers with safe and clean drinking water.
We have made available the full online document that includes a complete review of our May 2019 Algal Toxin Report.
Service request:
Click or call 919-560-1200