PFAS Removal

PFAS Removal from Water in Fort Bend County

What Are PFAS?

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large family of chemicals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes them as widely used, long-lasting chemicals whose components break down very slowly over time. There are thousands of them in consumer, commercial and industrial products, and EPA notes that many are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world.

In its questions and answers on the 2024 drinking water rule, EPA describes PFAS as chemicals that can cause serious health problems with long-term exposure, or with exposure at critical life stages such as pregnancy and early childhood.

Two PFAS matter most when you shop for a filter: PFOA and PFOS. They carry the federal limits EPA has said it will keep, and they are the PFAS that EPA's guidance on certified home filters focuses on.

Where the EPA's PFAS Drinking Water Rule Stands

In April 2024, EPA set the first national drinking water limits for PFAS: 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt) each for PFOA and PFOS; 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX chemicals); and a "hazard index" limit for mixtures of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS. Water systems had until 2027 to finish initial monitoring and until 2029 to meet the limits, and must share their PFAS levels with the public beginning in 2027.

In May 2025, EPA announced that it would keep the PFOA and PFOS limits, propose more time to comply, and rescind and reconsider the other four. On May 18, 2026, it proposed two rules. One keeps PFOA and PFOS at 4.0 ppt and lets systems request two more years, to 2031, to comply. The other would rescind the limits for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and the hazard index mixture. Comment closed July 20, 2026. When we checked in November 2026, EPA still listed both as proposals; its PFAS regulation page has the current status.

The takeaway: 4.0 ppt for PFOA and for PFOS is the part of the rule EPA has said it will keep.

Has My Water System Tested for PFAS?

Very likely, if it serves 3,300 people or more. Under EPA's fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5), every community water system of that size, plus a representative sample of 800 smaller systems, tested for 29 PFAS and lithium during a 12-month period between January 2023 and December 2025. EPA released the final dataset in August 2026.

1. Find your system's name and ID. Your water bill names the system, and its annual water quality report usually shows its ID, which starts with "TX" in Texas. See how to read your water quality report.
2. Search EPA's UCMR 5 Data Finder by name or ID.
3. Read the results with EPA's cautions in mind. "< MRL" means below the minimum reporting level, which reflects what labs can measure, not a health threshold. And UCMR 5 results don't show whether a system complies with the PFAS limits, which is judged on running annual averages.

You can also ask your water system whether it monitors for PFAS and what it found, as EPA recommends. On a private well, EPA recommends testing with a state-certified laboratory that uses EPA-developed methods.

We don't publish PFAS results for Fort Bend County systems, and we won't guess at yours. Call 281-979-3405 and we'll help you find your system's numbers.

What Reduces PFAS in Drinking Water

EPA names three home treatment types that can be effective: activated carbon, reverse osmosis and ion exchange resin. In EPA research, the point-of-use systems it studied using each technology greatly reduced PFAS levels.

What separates a tested product from a claim on a box is certification. EPA's advice is to look for NSF/ANSI 53 (filters) or NSF/ANSI 58 (reverse osmosis systems) certification for PFAS reduction, and to check the certifier's online listing for the exact model and the PFAS it covers, usually PFOA and PFOS.

• Certification names specific PFAS. Don't assume a filter certified for PFOA and PFOS also reduces other PFAS.
• Certification has lagged the new limits. EPA notes that, as of April 2024, certification standards did not yet show that a filter reduces PFAS all the way to the levels in its rule, and it is working with standard-setting bodies to update them.
• Maintenance decides performance. EPA says filters only work if they are maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Reverse Osmosis at the Tap or Whole-Home Treatment?

EPA says only a small amount of PFAS can get into your body through skin, so bathing and showering are not likely to be primary routes of exposure. That is why PFAS treatment at home usually focuses on the water you drink and cook with.

An under-sink reverse osmosis system does exactly that, at one tap with its own faucet. If you choose RO for PFAS, pick a system whose NSF/ANSI 58 listing names PFOA and PFOS reduction, and change its filters and membrane on schedule. On chloraminated water, the carbon pre-filters also need to suit chloramine, because chlorine compounds can damage common membranes.

Whole-home PFAS treatment is a much larger system that has to keep up with your household's flow, and EPA's guide to certified PFAS filters covers point-of-use devices only. If you're considering one, ask for the certification listing or independent test data for that exact system and claim. The whole-home filtration we install is built for chlorine and chloramine taste and odor, and we don't sell it as PFAS treatment.

Our detailed quotes name the exact equipment, so you can check its certification listing before you approve anything. Call 281-979-3405 to talk it through.