Forever Chemicals
If you are weighing a move into South Dakota and you have been quietly wondering what is in the water, you are not being paranoid; you are being a careful neighbor. The figures below come from federal monitoring, and the office that stands behind them is the state's Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR), which runs the public-water-supply program here. What follows is not a verdict on any one tap. It is the public record, laid out plainly, so you can see what testing has and has not found across the state. Read it as orientation when evaluating an address, not as a reason to lie awake.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 42 public water systems in South Dakota for 29 PFAS compounds; 3 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 7% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific South Dakota address.
In South Dakota, the office that watches over drinking water is the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, or DANR, which administers the public-water-supply program the federal Safe Drinking Water Act hands to the states. On PFAS, South Dakota tends to follow the federal lead rather than carry its own enforceable limit: residents are largely covered by the April 2024 federal rule (4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, 10 for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX), which DANR is responsible for enforcing through the state's public systems. It is a quieter regulatory posture than some neighbors keep, but it is a named office with a defined job.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in South Dakotaserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
42
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
3
Systems with any PFAS detected
7% 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
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 South Dakotautilities 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABERDEEN | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| RAPID CITY | 1 | 0 | Below MCL |
| RAPID VALLEY SANITARY DISTRICT | 1 | 0 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across South Dakota 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 South Dakota installations, the address report will tell you exactly how close.
Ellsworth AFB
Air Force
Looking at a specific South Dakotacity? 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 what the numbers below actually cover. The federal UCMR5 effort tested for 29 PFAS compounds in public systems serving more than about 3,300 people, between 2021 and 2024. That leaves real gaps worth naming first: private wells were not required to test, and many small rural systems sit outside the program too, which matters in a state with as much open country as this one. DANR offers guidance for well owners who want to test on their own, and that is the sensible route if your water comes from a private well. One more honest caveat: a detection logged in 2022 is a snapshot, not a guarantee of today's tap. Read the figures as a starting point, not a final answer.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 42 public water systems in South Dakota; 3 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
South Dakota is among the states that rely on the federal framework rather than a separate state limit. Residents are largely covered by the April 2024 federal rule, which sets enforceable limits of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) administers those limits through the state's public water systems.
DANR runs the state's public-water-supply program and enforces the federal PFAS standards within it, including monitoring and follow-up where systems exceed the limits. The state tends to track the federal rule rather than add stricter numbers of its own, so the agency's role is largely implementing and enforcing what the EPA finalized in 2024.
DANR is the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the state agency that oversees environmental programs including drinking water, water quality, and contaminated-site cleanup. It is the office to contact for public-water and well-related questions in the state.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any South Dakota 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