Water Quality
The City of South Bend is committed to providing clean, safe drinking water that meets or exceeds all state and federal standards. South Bend provides drinking water from groundwater sources. There are nine wellfields available for use containing wells ranging from 104 to 237 feet below the ground surface. There is a treatment plant at each wellfield.
How does PFAS get into our water supply?
The City does not use PFAS in its water treatment process. Any PFAS detected in our treated drinking water comes from contaminated groundwater sources. PFAS enters water through industrial discharge, landfill leachate and runoff from products containing PFAS.
How is PFAS regulated in drinking water?
On April 10, 2024, the United Stated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the first-ever national standards for PFAS in drinking water. Initially, water utilities were required to comply by 2029. Since then, the EPA has extended the compliance deadline to 2031 and limited enforceable standards to two PFAS compounds: PFOA and PFOS.
Under the EPA’s PFAS regulation, public water systems are required to:
- Monitor drinking water for PFOA and PFOS.
- Notify customers if levels of these compounds are above EPA’s regulatory limits.
- Reduce PFAS levels in drinking water if monitoring shows concentrations above the EPA’s regulatory limits.
The EPA has set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) of 4.0 parts per trillion for both PFOA and PFOS to minimize potential health risks from exposure.
What is the City doing about PFAS?
The City has taken several proactive steps to comply with EPA’s PFAS regulations. Initial monitoring and testing of all city wells have been completed. Where possible, wells with elevated PFAS levels were immediately reduced in use or temporarily taken offline. As a result, the City’s finished drinking water meets the 2031 EPA PFAS standards at 8 of the 9 water treatment plants.
In addition, the City is working with environmental engineering firm Black & Veach to identify the most appropriate treatment technologies for the water treatment plants. This includes constructing a PFAS treatment facility for the North Station Plant, where high PFAS levels were detected, to ensure continued compliance with EPA water quality standards.
The City has also received funds from a lawsuit it filed against PFAS manufacturers, 3M, DuPont, Tyco Fire Products and BASF. These funds, totaling $14 million, will be used to remove PFAS from our drinking water.
What can residents do?
To help reduce exposure to PFAS in drinking water right now, the EPA recommends the following methods:
- Certified PFAS Water Pitchers: Look for pitchers that are specifically labeled and certified for PFAS removal. They should meet NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or 222 for PFAS removal.
- Charcoal (Granular Activated Carbon or GAC): These filters use carbon to trap chemicals as water passes through them and can be installed under the sink.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO) System: Typically installed under the sink to treat water from the kitchen faucet. Reverse osmosis is a process that forces water through an extremely thin barrier that separates PFAS and other contaminants from the water.
- Whole House Filtration System: This is the most expensive option but would treat all the water in your house from the kitchen sink, bathroom, laundry, etc.