The South Berwick Water District is unlikely to be affected by a new state law limiting the level of PFAS in drinking water, but stricter federal standards for the highly toxic “forever chemicals” may be on the horizon.
“Providing concentrations remain stable in all our water sources, we should not have a problem complying with the State adoption of the 2024 Federal Standards for PFAS,” Water District Superintendent Ryan Lynch said last week, referring to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances found in common household products and are linked to liver damage, immune deficiency and cancer.
However, Lynch cautioned that an announcement in May 2025 indicated additional changes to the new federal PFAS standards may be issued in the next few years as testing is further refined.
“At this time, we don’t know what specific changes are being considered and whether they might impact (the Water District),” he said. “The pervasiveness of PFAS in our general environment is so high, (and) as laboratory testing methods become more sensitive and can detect lower and lower levels, we are unfortunately likely to find more.”
According to Lynch, when all four of the district’s treated wells were tested last June for 29 PFAS, including the most common, the results were below laboratory detectable levels. The district is awaiting results from a December sampling, but no change in that status is expected, he said.
Maine’s previous limit of 20 parts per trillion for the combined sum of six PFAS was reduced to 4.0 ppt for the two most harmful chemicals – the equivalent of four drops in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools – and no more than 10 ppt for three others combined.
“Trace amounts of a few species have been detected below current and new standards in some of our individual ‘raw’ well water supplies,” said Lynch, “but when treated or combined with other sources at each site, this trace amount is typically further reduced below detectable levels before entry to the water distribution system.”
