Authorities are responding to PFAS concerns in NSW water supplies. 

Communities in regional areas face rising concern as experts warn of widespread risks due to gaps in testing and transparency. 

A NSW parliamentary inquiry into PFAS in drinking water and waterways is underway, following findings of unsafe levels of contaminated water in the Upper Blue Mountains supply earlier this year. 

The incident has prompted scrutiny of smaller regional water utilities, where testing is inconsistent.  

Sydney Water conducts weekly PFAS testing at plants like North Richmond and Cascade and publishes results online. 

However, reports say that nearly 30 per cent of regional water utilities that opted into NSW Health’s testing program in September have yet to receive results. Several councils have withheld their findings, citing insufficient data or risk assessments.  

Dr Ian Wright, a water scientist at the University of Western Sydney, says that if the state’s largest supplier can fail to detect contamination, then smaller suppliers may be even more vulnerable. 

“If that can happen in our best-resourced and most-populous area, I feel so sorry and apprehensive about the small water utilities often run by councils,” he told the ABC.

Riverina Water has detected PFAS above the draft limit proposed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), while Bungendore, near the NSW-ACT border, recorded PFAS at the proposed limit.  

In the Upper Blue Mountains, the Cascade Water Filtration Plant continues to receive PFAS-contaminated water from dams closed since August. A $3.5 million mobile treatment system is being installed to address the issue, with results expected in early 2025.  

PFAS chemicals, commonly found in firefighting foam and household products, resist breakdown and accumulate in human bodies. 

As the NHMRC considers stricter guidelines, campaigners say authorities are not moving fast enough.  

Experts are calling for an enforceable code of practice and an accessible database of water quality results. 

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