Contaminant · PFAS
PFPeA in drinking water
Perfluoropentanoic acid, a short-chain PFAS and the most frequently detected PFAS in UCMR 5.
What the rules say
PFPeA has no federal limit or EPA health reference value; results are reported against the UCMR 5 reporting level only.
Read the EPA source for PFPeA.
Across the country
EPA tested 10,307 water systems for PFPeA and found it in 2,066. Half of the systems that found it measured less than 4.9 ppt, and one in ten measured more than 13.5 ppt.
EPA's final UCMR 5 occurrence file contains 66,343 PFPeA results from 10,307 systems. 7,040 results were at or above the minimum reporting level, across 2,066 systems. Among detections, the median was 4.9 ppt and the 90th percentile was 13.5 ppt.
Systems with the highest recorded PFPeA results
| System | State | Population served | Recorded value | Records / periods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Cameron TX1660001 | Texas | 5,489 | 339 ppt | 3 |
| Telford Borough Authority PA1460050 | Pennsylvania | 7,700 | 196 ppt | 12 |
| Chambers County MUD 1 TX0360104 | Texas | 2,500 | 157 ppt | 2 |
| City of Sugar Land TX0790005 | Texas | 90,909 | 358 ppt | 16 |
| Airway Heights City of WA5300650 | Washington | 9,489 | 139 ppt | 2 |
| City of Clute TX0200004 | Texas | 10,604 | 175 ppt | 7 |
| Sienna MUD 3 TX0790376 | Texas | 7,365 | 130 ppt | 2 |
| Sienna MUD 10 TX0790452 | Texas | 7,824 | 194 ppt | 2 |
| Widefield WSD CO0121900 | Colorado | 27,640 | 109 ppt | 14 |
| City of Richwood TX0200035 | Texas | 7,605 | 180 ppt | 3 |
| City of Freeport TX0200005 | Texas | 10,594 | 151 ppt | 4 |
| Yeshiva Farm Settlement NY5903150 | New York | 300 | 106 ppt | 4 |
| Experimental PR0004604 | Puerto Rico | 6,445 | 110 ppt | 2 |
| Galveston County WCID 8 TX0840009 | Texas | 7,065 | 156 ppt | 7 |
| City of Angleton TX0200002 | Texas | 19,429 | 205 ppt | 13 |
| Great Bend, City of KS2000911 | Kansas | 14,580 | 110 ppt | 4 |
| Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (Ecua) FL1170525 | Florida | 242,172 | 139 ppt | 25 |
| Pequenakonck Elementary School NY5907717 | New York | 700 | 134 ppt | 1 |
| Artesian Water Company DE0000552 | Delaware | 231,114 | 106 ppt | 18 |
| Caernarvon TWP Auth PA3060052 | Pennsylvania | 4,245 | 75.4 ppt | 3 |
| City of Rosenberg TX0790003 | Texas | 43,158 | 132 ppt | 4 |
| Municipal Services Commission DE0000634 | Delaware | 5,549 | 123 ppt | 1 |
| Fountain City of CO0121275 | Colorado | 25,130 | 76.7 ppt | 10 |
| City of Westminster MD0060015 | Maryland | 35,256 | 66.7 ppt | 12 |
| City of Richmond TX0790023 | Texas | 25,326 | 82.0 ppt | 4 |
Filters and testing
NSF/ANSI 58 (reverse osmosis)
A standard number by itself is not a contaminant claim. Check the product's current certification listing and performance data sheet for PFPeA or the specific contaminant you want to reduce. A utility-level record is not a test of your own faucet.