PFAS and drinking water
Our water meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
Providing clean, safe drinking water is Seqwater’s number one priority and South East Queensland’s drinking water continues to meet the standards set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).
PFAS
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of human-made chemicals that have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the mid-1900s.
Due to the unique physical and chemical properties of PFAS to resist heat, stains, grease and water, they have been used in items including firefighting foams, textiles and leather products, food packaging, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, sunscreens, denture cleaner and medical devices.
Because PFAS break down slowly, they are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals.”
Monitoring
We routinely assess the risk of PFAS as part of our compliance with the Seqwater Drinking Water Quality Management Plan (approved by the Queensland Government Water Supply Regulator) based on the standards set by the ADWG and a safety-focused approach to the management of drinking water quality.
PFAS Guidelines
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) are set by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and provide guidance to water regulators and suppliers on monitoring and managing drinking water quality.
PFAS chemicals are not added to drinking water, however they can be present in water due to external sources. The NHMRC note that exposure to PFAS can occur through many pathways including consumer products, food packaging, air and dust, and drinking water. Exposure to PFOS and PFOA from drinking water has been previously estimated to be approximately 2-3% of total PFAS exposure1 in areas with low levels of contamination.
The Australian Government has banned the manufacture and importation of some PFAS substances by July 2025, including everyday products that contain PFAS.
1 Thompson J, Eaglesham G, Mueller J (2011). Concentrations of PFOS, PFOA and other perfluorinated alkyl acids in Australian drinking water. Chemosphere 83; 1320-1325.
Australia currently has ADWG guidance for three PFAS compounds
The ADWG specifies a limit for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) of 0.56 µg/L (micrograms per litre). This may also be expressed as 560 ng/L (nanograms per litre), which equates to 560 parts per trillion.
It also specifies a limit for the sum of the concentration of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) of 0.07 µg/L (micrograms per litre). This may also be expressed as 70 ng/L (nanograms per litre), which equates to 70 parts per trillion.
The NHMRC is currently reviewing the ADWG
The ADWG for PFAS are currently being reviewed by the NHMRC. The draft update includes lower levels for three types of PFAS (PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS) and the introduction of a limit for PFBS.
Seqwater welcomes the release of the updated draft ADWG on PFAS by the NHMRC. We support the rolling review of the ADWG in line with the latest scientific data to maintain clean, safe and sustainable drinking water across South East Queensland for generations to come.
Seqwater will conduct a review of the draft guidelines and provide any feedback, including how they can be best implemented, as part of our consultation with the Water Services Association of Australia. The consultation process is open to the public and closes on 22 November 2024.
The new ADWG guidelines for PFAS is a draft only until public consultation is completed, after which each state will determine how best to incorporate the recommendations into their regulatory controls over water supplies. Any changes could come into effect in mid 2025, and Seqwater will continue to meet the new ADWG.
Visit the Water Services Association of Australia PFAS webpage for more.
Testing for PFAS
In 2018, Seqwater conducted a survey of the region’s catchments and tested source and treated water across the SEQ Water Grid and off-grid supplies to understand the presence of PFAS in South East Queensland’s drinking water.
The results for PFAS in 2018, and in additional testing over subsequent years including in 2024, have been below the ADWG guidelines.
Results
Seqwater has a stringent multi-layered water treatment process and conducts almost 400,000 water quality tests a year.
Like any other risk to our drinking water supply, Seqwater’s water quality experts manage the risk of PFAS in our region’s drinking water to ensure it meets the standards set by the ADWG.
Seqwater understands there is growing global interest in PFAS. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re enhancing the frequency of our source water testing for PFAS. You can find our recent results below.
Our commitment
Seqwater is committed to providing valued water supply and is now conducting source water testing for PFAS twice yearly. Additional testing may occur to support further catchment analysis and risk assessments.
The next round of testing will be conducted in January 2025 and July 2025.
Results will be made available approximately three months after testing is complete once all results have been collected and validated by one of our independent laboratories. Results will be available on this page.
September 2024 Monitoring: South East Queensland raw water results
Our water continues to meet the standards set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). The Australian levels are conservative and are for long-term exposure to these substances – over an entire lifetime.
While small amounts of PFAS have been detected in our region’s source water, the guidelines are the equivalent of approximately one quarter of a teaspoon of PFOA in an Olympic-sized swimming pool and around less than a small ‘pinch’ of PFOS + PFHxS in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
|
Sample Date |
PFOS (µg/L) |
PFHxS (µg/L) |
PFOA (µg/L) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Raw Water Sample |
ADWG value: 0.56 |
||
|
September 2024 |
Amity Point WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Beaudesert WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Boonah-Kalbar WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Canungra WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Capalaba WTP |
0.0026 |
0.0015 |
0.0003 |
|
September 2024 |
Dayboro WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Dunwich WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Esk WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Ewen Maddock Dam |
0.0005 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Hinze Dam WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Image Flat WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Jimna WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Kenilworth WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Kilcoy WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Kirkleagh WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Kooralbyn WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Landers Shute WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Linville WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Lowood WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Maroon Dam WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Molendinar WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Moogerah Dam WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Mt Crosby East Bank WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Mt Crosby West Bank WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Mudgeeraba WTP1 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Mudgeeraba WTP2 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Noosa WTP3 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Noosa WTP4 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
North Pine WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
North Stradbroke Island WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Point Lookout WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Rathdowney WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
|
September 2024 |
Somerset Dam WTP |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
<0.0002 |
1 Little Nerang Dam Source
2 Hinze Dam Source
3 Lake MacDonald Source
4 Mary River Source
Passive sampling technology
Seqwater employs multiple techniques to test for micropollutants such as PFAS, including the use of very sensitive passive sampling technology. This technology will be largely adopted as part of our enhanced PFAS monitoring program from 2025.
Researchers from The University of Queensland supply Seqwater with passive samplers to test for PFAS and other micropollutants across South East Queensland’s source water supplies.
Developed by the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, the Microporous Polyethylene Tube (MPT) is deployed at Water Treatment Plant (WTP) offtakes for approximately one month and is designed to soak up any PFAS substances in the water.
Passive sampling technology is beneficial as it is highly sensitive to micropollutants such as PFAS and it provides readings over a period of time, supporting a better understanding of the presence of PFAS.
Watch the video to see how the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences developed technology to test for PFAS in our catchments.
For more information
- For public health enquiries, call Queensland Health on 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84).
- For more information on The Australia Drinking Water Guidelines, visit The National Health and Medical Research Council.
- For more information on PFAS, visit Water Services Association of Australia
- Read our Frequently Asked Questions