Forever Chemicals
If you are relocating to Mississippi, or just want to understand the water near a home you already have, the figures below come from testing at regulated public systems around this address. In Mississippi, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is the state environmental agency, and on PFAS the state largely leans on the federal drinking-water limits MDEQ helps administer. None of the numbers here is a verdict on a single tap. They are what the public records show, set out plainly so you have something solid to work from when you are evaluating an address, instead of being left to guess at what the silence might mean.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Mississippi for 29 PFAS compounds; 2 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 4% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Mississippi address.
In Mississippi, the state agency to know is the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), which oversees environmental protection across the state and works with the state's drinking-water program on public-system standards. On PFAS, Mississippi residents are largely covered by the federal limits the agency administers rather than a separate state enforceable limit set ahead of the 2024 federal rule. The point that matters here is simple: there is a named state office, not only a federal one, standing behind the standards Mississippi's regulated systems are held to. One acronym, one office, and a clear federal baseline underneath it.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Mississippiserving 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)
2
Systems with any PFAS detected
4% 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
0
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
These are the Mississippiutilities 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CITY OF OXFORD | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI | 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 Mississippi water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
Looking at a specific Mississippicity? 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.
Start with how to read it. The federal UCMR5 program had public systems serving more than 3,300 people test for 29 PFAS compounds between 2021 and 2024, so the figures above describe those systems in those years, not your tap right now. Private wells and small rural systems below the testing threshold were never required to participate, which matters a great deal in a largely rural state; if your water comes from a well, MDEQ and state health resources on well testing are the right starting point, because these numbers will not speak to it. And a 2022 detection is a snapshot, not a standing judgment. The federal alphabet here, UCMR and the rest, is its own dialect, but the question underneath stays plain.
Military installations belong in any honest water picture for a clear reason. Firefighting foam known as AFFF was used in training for decades, and it is built on the same PFAS compounds that resist breaking down in soil and groundwater. That is why the installations listed above are worth a look as you read the regional picture. For Mississippians who served, or whose family did, this is not abstract, and the intent here is to lay out the records with respect, not to make a scare of anyone's service.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Mississippi; 2 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Mississippi residents are largely covered by the federal PFAS limits the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) helps administer rather than a separate state enforceable limit set ahead of the 2024 federal rule. Those federal limits are 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) oversees environmental protection statewide and works with the state's drinking-water program to apply the federal PFAS standards to public systems. Mississippi tends to follow the federal limits rather than setting its own enforceable state limit.
MDEQ is the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the state agency responsible for air, water, waste, and contaminated-site oversight across Mississippi. If you went looking for the state environmental office, this is it.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Mississippi 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