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Drinking water / California

Porterville, City of

PWSID CA5410010 - Porterville

PFAS was measured above a final federal limit in this system.

The highest result was PFOS at 23 ng/L, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L. A system over the limit has a legal obligation to act by 2031; it does not mean the water is unsafe to drink today, and it does not describe what reaches one specific tap.

63,487

people served

17,666

service connections

groundwater

primary source

1,740

sample results

Every compound detected

Highest single result per compound, in nanograms per litre (the same unit as parts per trillion). EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the limits marked as withdrawn, so those results are reported without a comparison.

CompoundHighest resultFederal limitReading
PFOS23 ng/L4 ng/Labove limit
PFOA22 ng/L4 ng/Labove limit
PFPeA9.3 ng/Lnonebelow limit
PFBS9.1 ng/Lnonebelow limit
PFHxA8.5 ng/Lnonebelow limit
PFHpA6.5 ng/Lnonebelow limit
PFBA5.8 ng/Lnonebelow limit
PFHxS3.6 ng/Lwithdrawnno current limit

Counties served

What this does not tell you

These are entry-point results for the system, not one tap. Water mixes between sources, sits in mains and passes through household plumbing. A certified lab test of your own tap is the only thing that answers what you drink, and it is the only route at all for a private well.

How to test your tap water

If you want to treat it

Reverse osmosis and properly specified activated carbon remove most PFAS at the tap. Certification to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 with an explicit PFOA and PFOS claim is what separates a PFAS filter from a taste filter.

Which filters actually work

Source: EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule occurrence data, with system detail from EPA SDWIS. Umwelt reports these results as published. Methodology and sources