Forever Chemicals
Whether you're moving a family into Louisiana or you've watched these bayous and river towns your whole life and finally got curious, this page turns a federal dataset into something readable. The numbers in the cards below come from national testing; the bearings come from knowing who runs the system. In Louisiana, broad environmental work sits with the Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), while drinking water itself runs through the Department of Health's Safe Drinking Water Program. None of this judges a single address. It's the statewide record, set out so it's genuinely worth reviewing when evaluating an address rather than just unsettling to glance at.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Louisiana for 29 PFAS compounds; 3 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 6% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Louisiana address.
Louisiana splits the work a little: the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) handles broad environmental protection, while drinking water specifically falls under the Louisiana Department of Health's Safe Drinking Water Program. On PFAS, Louisiana is among the states that lean on the federal framework rather than setting its own enforceable number, so residents are largely covered by the limits the agencies administer under the April 2024 federal rule, which caps PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion. The posture is federal-default. What matters for you is that there are named offices standing behind these records, not an anonymous void.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Louisianaserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
51
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
3
Systems with any PFAS detected
6% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
2
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 Louisianautilities 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHREVEPORT WATER SYSTEM | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| NEW ORLEANS ALGIERS WATER WORKS | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| PARISH UTILITIES OF ASCENSION | 2 | 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 Louisiana water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
Looking at a specific Louisianacity? 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.
Read the picture for what it is. The federal UCMR5 effort tested 29 PFAS compounds, but only at public water systems serving more than roughly 3,300 people, with samples gathered between 2021 and 2024. Louisiana has plenty of small communities and private wells along the bayous and back roads that the program never required to test, so an empty stretch of map is unknown territory, not certified clean. The Department of Health's drinking-water program can point well owners toward testing guidance worth chasing down. And a detection from two or three years ago describes that moment, not necessarily what comes out of the tap now. The acronyms (UCMR, MCL) pile up; the real question doesn't.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Louisiana; 3 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Louisiana is among the states whose residents are covered by the federal limits its agencies administer rather than a separate state number. The April 2024 federal PFAS rule sets PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion plus levels for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX, and Louisiana's drinking-water and environmental agencies largely apply that national standard. The protection comes from the federal rule, enforced locally.
In Louisiana, broad environmental oversight rests with the Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), while drinking-water rules run through the Louisiana Department of Health's Safe Drinking Water Program. Both tend to administer the federal PFAS standards rather than separate state limits, overseeing monitoring for community water systems under the 2024 rule. Private wells generally sit outside that program, so well owners are pointed toward separate testing guidance.
LDEQ is the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the state's main environmental protection agency, covering air, water quality, and waste. For drinking water specifically, the Louisiana Department of Health's Safe Drinking Water Program handles public water supply oversight, including PFAS monitoring under the federal rule. Between the two, those are the offices that oversee Louisiana's water.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Louisiana 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