Forever Chemicals
Whether you are eyeing a move to Minnesota or simply curious about the water around a home you already own, the figures below come from testing at regulated public systems near this address. Minnesota is a useful case because two named state bodies share the work: the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on the environmental side and the Minnesota Department of Health on drinking water, which has published health-based PFAS guidance for years. The numbers here are not a verdict on any single tap. They are what the public records show, arranged so the picture is clear when you are evaluating an address instead of left to the kind of worry that fills in its own blanks.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 50 public water systems in Minnesota for 29 PFAS compounds; 15 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 30% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Minnesota address.
Minnesota splits the work in a way worth knowing: the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) handles broad environmental protection, while the Minnesota Department of Health runs the drinking-water side and is the body that has long published health-based guidance values for several PFAS compounds. Minnesota tends to be counted among the states that engaged early on PFAS through health-based guidance rather than waiting on the federal government, and residents are also covered by the federal limits administered through that drinking-water program. The reassuring part is concrete: there are named Minnesota offices, not just a distant federal one, that have been studying these compounds for years.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Minnesotaserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
50
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
15
Systems with any PFAS detected
30% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
3
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
1
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
Red triangles are military installations the Department of Defense has flagged for PFAS from firefighting foam. Orange dots are industrial facilities that reported PFAS to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. If your future home sits near a cluster, that's a conversation worth having with the seller or landlord.
These are the Minnesotautilities 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Paul Park | 1 | 0.75 | Below MCL |
| Oak Park Heights | 3 | 0.12 | Below MCL |
| Anoka | 2 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| East Grand Forks | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| Coon Rapids | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| Ramsey | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| Thief River Falls | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| Columbia Heights | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| New Hope | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| Alexandria | 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 Minnesota water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
For decades the military trained with AFFF firefighting foam loaded with PFAS. It soaked into soil and groundwater and, in many places, traveled miles. If you're house-hunting near any of these Minnesota installations, the address report will tell you exactly how close.
Camp Ripley (all AOIs)
Army
Looking at a specific Minnesotacity? 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.
First, how to read this honestly. The federal UCMR5 program had public systems serving more than 3,300 people test for 29 PFAS compounds from 2021 through 2024, so the figures above are a window into those systems and those years, not a live reading of your faucet. Private wells and small rural systems below the threshold were not required to test, so if your water comes from a well, the Minnesota Department of Health's well-testing guidance is the place to begin and these numbers will not address it. A 2022 detection is a moment captured, not a standing verdict. Minnesota having both an MPCA and a separate health department on the case is the sort of org chart that keeps acronyms busy, but the science underneath is steady.
Military installations enter the picture for a documented reason. Firefighting foam known as AFFF was used in training for decades, and it relies on the same PFAS compounds that resist breaking down in soil and groundwater. That is why the installations listed above deserve a look when you read the regional water picture. For Minnesotans who served, or whose family did, this is not a statistic, and the goal here is to show the records plainly and respectfully rather than to alarm.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 50 public water systems in Minnesota; 15 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Minnesota tends to be among the states that engaged early on PFAS, primarily through health-based guidance values published by the Minnesota Department of Health for several compounds. Residents are also covered by the federal limits of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX administered through the state's drinking-water program.
Minnesota divides the work: the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) handles broad environmental oversight while the Minnesota Department of Health runs drinking water and has long issued health-based PFAS guidance. Minnesota largely engaged on PFAS ahead of the federal rule through that guidance.
The MPCA is the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the state's environmental agency for air, water, waste, and contaminated-site cleanup. On drinking water specifically, the Minnesota Department of Health is the lead body, so the two often come up together.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Minnesota 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