Monitoring for PFAS
Learn about the guideline levels for PFAS that we follow, and how your drinking water and recycled water is monitored for PFAS.
What are PFAS?
PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of human-made substances used to make products that resist heat, stains, grease and water. Known as ‘forever chemicals’, they’ve been around since the mid-1900s and are of concern because they can stay in both the environment and humans for a long time.
They’re found in some household products including some non-stick pans, sunscreen, raincoats and make up. In the past, they were commonly used in firefighting foam and waterproof sprays.
They’re commonly detected at trace levels in groundwater, surface water, soils and in the household products mentioned above.
Image credit: The Australian Government
Monitoring for PFAS in your drinking water
Monitoring for PFAS in your drinking water is just part of the work we do to make sure it’s safe and of the highest quality.
As our wholesale supplier, Melbourne Water proactively monitors for PFAS in its catchments before supplying drinking water to us.
As this water enters our distribution network, we collect more samples and send these to an independent laboratory for testing.
Guideline values
When monitoring for PFAS in drinking water, we follow the health-based guideline values in the Australian Government’s Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (2025), set by the independent National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
The guidelines (updated in mid-2025) outline PFAS concentrations in drinking water that a person could consume every day without it affecting their health:
- PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid): Less than 0.2 micrograms (200 nanograms) per litre
- PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid): Less than 0.008 micrograms (8 nanograms) per litre
- PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid): Less than 0.03 micrograms (30 nanograms) per litre
- PFBS (Perfluorobutane sulfonate): Less than 1 microgram (1000 nanograms) per litre.
To give you an idea of what that means, one microgram per litre is equal to one part per billion. For most people, the level of exposure to PFAS from drinking water is likely to be small.
Since South East Water started monitoring for PFAS in 2024, the independent laboratory that collects samples and analyses our drinking water hasn’t detected any PFAS in our drinking water.
The testing protocols can detect PFAS at levels as low as 2 nanograms per litre.
We’ve included our results from monitoring PFAS in drinking water in our 2024-25 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Monitoring for PFAS in recycled water
Because PFAS is present in household items and consumer products, it ends up in wastewater and then in recycled water in small amounts – but they’re rarely above human health guideline values.
We follow strict regulations and guidelines for recycled water and proactively monitor for PFAS in the recycled water we produce at our water recycling plants. Melbourne Water also monitors the Class A recycled water it supplies to us from its Eastern Treatment Plant.
- An independent laboratory tests for PFAS in our Class A recycled water at least once every 6 months and our Class C recycled water at least once every 12 months to make sure the levels are below Water Research Australia’s recommended trigger points for investigation. During 2024 and 2025, we’ve tested more often than this to confirm our results.
- These tests can detect PFAS at extremely low concentrations (as low as 2 nanograms per litre).
The results show that the levels are consistently below the trigger points for investigation.
This means the Class A recycled water we supply to you is safe to use to irrigate crops, including food crops eaten raw – which is considered one of the more significant exposure pathways.
We also use the Australian Government’s National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP) 3.0 as a framework for monitoring PFAS levels in soils where recycled water is applied. If our recycled water sampling shows there may be an elevated risk of PFAS building up in the soil over time, this would trigger further investigations.
The NEMP is the national guide for managing PFAS contamination in the environment. It includes protocols for monitoring, treating and disposing of PFAS-contaminated water and waste. It’s updated to reflect new scientific evidence and guidance.
Note: In 2021, EPA Victoria did a study with 13 Victorian water corporations, including South East Water, which involved recycled water being tested at 31 wastewater treatment plants (Class A, B, and C). PFAS was detected in both untreated and treated recycled water, but none of the concentrations exceeded human health guidelines.