Mapping the PFAS contamination crisis: New data show 9,323 sites with PFAS in 50 states, the District of Columbia and four territories
Update: June 12, 2025: The Environmental Protection Agency has released the sixth round of public water system testing data for the toxic fluorinated “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. The agency’s Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, or UCMR 5, requires water systems to do the testing.
The UCMR 5 data reveal 2,991 more sites with detectable levels of PFAS, based on test results from approximately 75% of the community water systems that will be tested under the rule. This brings the total known number of PFAS-contaminated sites to 9,323.
The new data, along with reporting from states and other sources, confirm 165 million people in communities throughout the U.S. have drinking water that has tested positive for PFAS.
A 2020 study by EWG scientists estimated more than 200 million Americans are served by water systems where two of the most studied PFAS – PFOA or PFOS – were present in drinking water at a concentration of 1 part per trillion, or ppt, or higher.
By comparison, the UCMR 5 requires reporting of detections at 4 ppt or higher for these chemicals. These new testing results, which build on EWG’s landmark PFAS contamination map, highlight the sheer scale of the PFAS problem in the U.S.. But the results still likely understate the full extent of exposure.
WHY IS THIS MAP IMPORTANT?
The number of U.S. communities confirmed to be contaminated with the highly toxic fluorinated compounds known as PFAS continues to grow at an alarming rate. New data is regularly added to the map to reflect the growing scope of the PFAS crisis.
As more testing is completed, more communities are learning that their water is contaminated by these hazardous chemicals. PFAS do not break down in the environment and can build up in our bodies, and they’re known to cause a number of serious health harms.
The latest update of this interactive map shows PFAS pollution in public and private water systems. Details about EWG’s sources and methodology are here.
Explore the map
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING?
The EPA has known about the health hazards of PFAS for decades but only recently established legal limits on PFAS allowed in drinking water.
In April 2024, the agency finalized the first national drinking water standards for six PFAS. But by May 2025, in a startling reversal of one of the most significant public health victories in a generation, the EPA signaled it will eliminate the PFAS maximum contaminant levels for four of the compounds.
The EPA’s standards for PFAS in drinking water require public water systems to complete initial monitoring for PFAS by 2027. The agency in May announced that it plans to extend the date for water systems to comply with the PFAS standards in drinking water to 2031.
The EPA has added 196 PFAS to the Toxics Release Inventory, or TRI, in response to a congressional mandate. A listing in the TRI requires facilities to report releases of those PFAS into the environment.
The agency in April 2024 designated PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Superfund law. The designation would jumpstart PFAS cleanups and help the EPA hold polluters accountable. However, the EPA’s decision faces a pending lawsuit.
The Department of Defense has tested for PFAS at military installations but made little to no progress cleaning up contamination, and drinking water remains threatened. A number of military installations tested as part of UCMR 5 have had detections of the six currently EPA-regulated PFAS above the agency’s standards. This could expose members of the military, along with families living on base, to unsafe levels of PFAS through their on-base drinking water.
Cleanup of PFAS contamination at military bases is vital to surrounding communities where public and private drinking water wells are contaminated by PFAS migrating from the bases.
A number of states are also taking steps to address PFAS pollution by banning some uses of the substances and setting cleanup standards.
EWG welcomes requests to reproduce its PFAS data for peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. To request permission, please email a completed EWG materials request form to [email protected]. EWG reviews requests on a case-by-case basis and reserves the right to deny permission for any reason, at its sole discretion.
About the Map
For all water systems with a detection of PFOS, PFOA or another PFAS, a maximum concentration for each PFAS and a maximum total PFAS concentration is displayed. The maximum levels listed are from a single point in time and do not reflect whether a water system has changed sources or is treating the water to reduce PFAS levels.
All locations represented on the map are approximate and intended to portray the general area of a contamination site or a community water system. Locations were mapped using the best data available from official records, including data provided by tests of public drinking water systems, the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, the Safe Drinking Water Information System and the Department of Defense report “Addressing Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA),” among others.
Levels listed are for the range of the total of all PFAS detected at the time of the tests. They do not reflect whether a water system is treating the water to reduce levels.
Data on contaminated water systems, industrial and military sites was current as of June 2025.
Disclaimer: EWG has worked to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in this map. The map is dynamic. The contaminant site, results, suspected sources and other information in the database may change based on evolving science, new information or other factors. Please be advised that this information frequently relies on data obtained from many sources, and accordingly, EWG cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided or any analysis based thereon.
