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Is there PFAS in Portland Water Bureau water?

No PFAS were detected in any of the 6 samples EPA's program collected.

Portland Water Bureau Serves 666,200 people · 6 PFOA samples from 2 sampling points · Feb 2024 to Nov 2024 No PFAS detected
PFOA Perfluorooctanoic acid not detected
EPA 4
PFOS Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid not detected
EPA 4
Averages are for the worst sampling point, with non-detects counted as zero. Source: EPA UCMR 5.

Portland Water Bureau is a public water system drawing on surface water, based in Portland, Oregon, serving about 666,200 people, including Gresham, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Portland. Under EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule it was tested for 29 PFAS and lithium 6 times across 2 sampling points between Feb 2024 and Nov 2024.

Every PFAS detected

None of the 29 PFAS were found at or above EPA's minimum reporting levels (2 to 20 ppt depending on the compound).

Not detected: 11Cl-PF3OUdS, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFTrDA, PFHxA, NEtFOSAA, PFOS, PFTA, PFBS, PFHpS, PFPeS, NFDHA, PFEESA, PFMBA, PFPeA, PFMPA, 8:2 FTS, 4:2 FTS, PFBA, HFPO-DA, ADONA, 9Cl-PF3ONS, PFDA, PFUnA, PFOA, PFDoA, 6:2 FTS, NMeFOSAA.

Lithium, tested in the same program: not detected.

What the EPA limits mean here

In April 2024 EPA set enforceable limits of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA and GenX, and a hazard index of 1 for mixtures. Utilities were given until 2029 to comply. In May 2026 EPA proposed keeping only the PFOA and PFOS limits and moving that deadline to 2031. Until that proposal is final, the 2024 limits stand.

Compliance is judged on a running annual average at each entry point, so we show the average at this system's worst sampling point next to its single highest result. UCMR 5 results do not by themselves put a utility in or out of compliance.

What you can do at home

No PFAS action is needed on these results. If your water tastes or smells of chlorine, a whole-house city water filter is the usual fix.

Other systems in Oregon

All 127 tested systems in Oregon

ZIP codes served

97030 97034 97035 97080 97086 97201 97202 97203 97204 97205 97206 97209 97210 97211 97212 97213 97214 97215 97216 97217 97218 97219 97220 97221 97222 97223 97225 97227 97229 97230 97231 97232 97233 97236 97239 97266

As reported by the utility to EPA. Neighbouring ZIPs are often split between systems; your water bill names yours.

Cite this page

Well & Tap. "PFAS in Portland Water Bureau water: EPA UCMR 5 results." Data: U.S. EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, final release August 2026, PWSID OR4100657. https://wellandtap.com/pfas/oregon/portland-water-bureau/

About this data

Source: U.S. EPA, UCMR 5 occurrence data, final release August 2026 (PWSID OR4100657). Population: EPA SDWIS. Averages count results below the reporting level as zero, the same convention EPA uses for running annual averages. Full method.