Forever Chemicals
If you served in Connecticut, or you're raising a family here and want to understand what's in the water for the long haul, this page is meant for you. It's also for the person who typed in DEEP looking for the state agency and landed here by accident — that's the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and you found the right neighborhood. We gathered the federal records so the legwork is already done. What follows comes from the EPA, the Department of Defense, and the Toxics Release Inventory, laid out plainly. No spin and no safety verdict — just what the public records show about Connecticut's water, the kind of thing worth reviewing when evaluating an address.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 43 public water systems in Connecticut for 29 PFAS compounds; 14 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 33% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Connecticut address.
Connecticut splits the work between two offices: the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) handles environmental oversight, while the Department of Public Health runs the drinking-water program for public systems. Connecticut is among the states that have moved early on PFAS, publishing a state PFAS action plan and using notification or action levels to flag contamination, though residents' enforceable drinking-water protection largely rests on the federal limits administered through the state. Either way, you're not facing this alone — there's a named office and a published plan behind the figures below.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Connecticutserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
43
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
14
Systems with any PFAS detected
33% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
8
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
0
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
These are the Connecticututilities where EPA testing found PFAS the most often or at the highest levels. Being on this list doesn't automatically mean today's tap water is unsafe — some systems have added treatment since these samples were taken — but it means a conversation with the utility is worth having before you move in.
| Water system | Detections | Max value (ng/L) | vs 2024 MCL |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTWC - SHORELINE REGION-GUILFORD SYSTEM | 4 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| AQUARION WATER CO OF CT-MAIN SYSTEM | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| NORWALK FIRST TAXING DISTRICT | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CROMWELL FIRE DISTRICT WATER DEPARTMENT | 2 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| AQUARION WATER CO OF CT-NEWTOWN SYSTEM | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| HAZARDVILLE WATER COMPANY | 5 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CTWC - CRYSTAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| BETHEL WATER DEPT | 3 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CTWC - UNIONVILLE SYSTEM | 6 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT - MAIN CAMPUS | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across Connecticut water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
Looking at a specific Connecticutcity? Each page below pulls the same federal data narrowed to that water system — useful whether you're relocating, buying, organizing your neighborhood around getting cleaner water, or just trying to find out what's in the tap and what's around you.
Before reading too much into any single number, know the shape of the data. UCMR 5 looked at 29 PFAS compounds between 2021 and 2024, and only larger public systems — those serving more than roughly 3,300 people — were required to test. That leaves real gaps: private wells and small rural systems weren't obligated to sample, and a detection from a few years back doesn't necessarily describe today's tap. If your Connecticut address relies on a private well, DEEP and the state's public-health drinking-water program offer testing guidance worth following. (And yes, the alphabet soup — UCMR, MCL, DEEP versus DPH — is a lot; nobody's keeping score.) The military piece deserves a plainer register. For years, firefighting training relied on AFFF foam carrying PFAS, and these compounds simply don't degrade — they move through groundwater and can surface well past the original site. That's the connection between the installations listed above and what shows up in the water records, and it's why military families often read these pages most closely.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 43 public water systems in Connecticut; 14 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Connecticut is among the states that moved early on PFAS, with a state action plan and notification or action levels used to flag contamination. For enforceable drinking-water protection, residents are largely covered by the federal limits administered through the state — 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) leads environmental oversight, including PFAS source investigation, while the Department of Public Health administers drinking-water rules. Connecticut has published a PFAS action plan, and its enforceable drinking-water posture tends to align with the federal PFAS rule.
DEEP is the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the state agency responsible for environmental and energy oversight. Drinking-water regulation for public systems sits with the state Department of Public Health, so the two work in tandem on PFAS.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Connecticut address, alongside nearby military bases and industrial PFAS sources. The data comes from EPA UCMR 5, EPA TRI, and the DoD PFAS installation report.
In April 2024 the EPA set the first enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (GenX), plus a Hazard Index for certain mixtures. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and come into compliance after that.
No. The federal limits apply to public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing and treatment, which is especially worth doing near a known PFAS source like a military base or industrial site.
State numbers tell you the pattern. An address report tells you what's actually in the water at yourkitchen sink — the matched utility, the PFAS detections on file, and every military or industrial source nearby. Whether it's for your family, your neighbors, or peace of mind.
Data sources: EPA UCMR 5 bulk data · EPA TRI 2024 · DoD PFAS installation report