PFAS · Georgia

PFAS in Georgia drinking water: EPA’s final survey results

EPA’s national PFAS survey (UCMR 5) tested 252 of the community water systems that serve homes in Georgia. 81 found at least one of 29 PFAS above the laboratory reporting level, and 28 had a PFOA or PFOS sampling-location yearly average at or above EPA’s 4.0 ppt limit. Samples were collected from January 2023 to June 2026.

In focus32%of surveyed systems found PFAS

Public records. Clearer context.

Data as of EPA UCMR 5 final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026) · EPA SDWIS 2026Q2 (file dated Jul 9, 2026). How we build these pages

252

Georgia community systems in EPA’s survey

serving about 9,811,992 people

found at least one PFAS

32% of surveyed systems; about 4,749,087 people served

PFOA or PFOS yearly average at or above the MCL

compared the way EPA does: the average of a complete sampling set

lithium at or above EPA’s health reference level

lithium was part of the same survey

PFBS was the compound Georgia community systems found most often: 66 of 252 tested systems measured it above the reporting level. Across the country, 35% of surveyed community systems found at least one PFAS; in Georgia the share is 32%. The largest Georgia system with a detection, Atlanta, serves 1,089,893 people and found 4 of the 29 compounds.

Which PFAS were found most often in Georgia

Each row counts the Georgia community water systems where that compound was measured above the reporting level at least once. A detection is a measurement, not a violation: most of these compounds have no federal limit.

Compound	Systems where found	Systems tested	Share
PFBS	66	252	26%
PFPeA	51	252	20%
PFHxA	48	252	19%
PFOS	41	252	16%
PFOA	35	252	14%
PFBA	28	252	11%
PFHxS	18	252	7%
PFHpA	16	252	6%
6:2 FTS	7	252	3%
PFPeS	2	252	1%
PFDA	1	252	0%

Georgia systems with the most PFAS found

The 10 surveyed community water systems that found the most different PFAS, with PFOA and PFOS compared to EPA’s 4.0 ppt limits on the yearly average at the highest sampling location. Larger systems come first when counts tie.

Water system	People served	PFAS found (of 29)	PFOA	PFOS
Clayton County Water Authority GA0630000	298,374	9	6.6 ppt at or above the MCL	7.1 ppt at or above the MCL
Spalding County Water System GA2550036	40,430	9	5.3 ppt at or above the MCL	7.6 ppt at or above the MCL
Griffin GA2550000	23,643	9	— not compared: the monitoring set is incomplete	— not compared: the monitoring set is incomplete
Columbus GA2150000	229,000	8	17.2 ppt at or above the MCL	5.9 ppt at or above the MCL
Calhoun GA1290000	53,090	8	13.5 ppt at or above the MCL	14.8 ppt at or above the MCL
Chatsworth GA2130000	28,262	8	6.9 ppt at or above the MCL	7.1 ppt at or above the MCL
Lafayette GA2950002	18,177	8	16.6 ppt at or above the MCL	28.5 ppt at or above the MCL
Senoia GA0770003	7,528	8	4.5 ppt at or above the MCL	2.1 ppt below the MCL
Augusta-Richmond Co Ws GA2450000	204,000	7	26.6 ppt at or above the MCL	43.6 ppt at or above the MCL
Floyd County GA1150001	46,143	7	9.6 ppt at or above the MCL	8.1 ppt at or above the MCL

Counties with the most systems that found PFAS

Fulton County 7 of 8 surveyed systems
Cobb County 4 of 4 surveyed systems
Henry County 4 of 5 surveyed systems
Chatham County 3 of 15 surveyed systems
Walton County 3 of 4 surveyed systems
Walker County 3 of 3 surveyed systems
Troup County 3 of 3 surveyed systems
Bartow County 2 of 3 surveyed systems

How to read these numbers

UCMR 5 asked every community and non-transient non-community water system serving 3,300 or more people, and a sample of smaller ones, to test for 29 PFAS and lithium. EPA published the final data in August 2026; its samples were collected from January 2023 to June 2026. A system that was not in the survey has no result here; that is not the same as having no PFAS.

UCMR 5 is a one-time national monitoring survey. Its results do not indicate compliance or non-compliance with the PFAS Maximum Contaminant Levels, which are enforced on running annual averages and take effect in 2029 (EPA has proposed allowing extensions to 2031). A single result above a limit on this page is a measurement, not a violation.

See how to read UCMR 5 results and our methodology for how systems are matched to places.

After Georgia’s PFAS results

Find your system. Then read its report.

State recordsAll Georgia water recordsCounties, ZIP reports, lead results and violations for the whole state.FiltersChoosing a PFAS filterHow to check a filter’s certified PFAS reduction before you buy.Your utilityFind your annual water reportYour utility’s Consumer Confidence Report will list its own PFAS results and any treatment plans.

County pages

Georgia water records

Sources

EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, samples collected 2023-01-03 – 2026-06-17, final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026); EPA SDWIS via ECHO, 2026Q2 extract (file dated Jul 9, 2026); EPA service-area boundaries v3.0; Census 2020 ZCTAs. Database prepared 2026-09-03.