New, state-funded water treatment system will eliminate PFAS from Tustin’s drinking water

Commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS comprise 12,000 human-made substances that have been used for commercial and industrial purposes and persist in the environment. PFAS can accumulate within the human body over time, and have been linked to increased cancer risk and several other health impacts in laboratory studies. 

“PFAS have only been recognized as a threat to public health relatively recently,” said State Water Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel. “But with increasing data substantiating the need to eliminate these compounds from our drinking water, the board is moving quickly to support projects similar to this one.” 

Since 2022, California has received a total of $269 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for its Drinking Water State Revolving Fund allocation to help public water systems like Tustin’s provide drinking water that is free from emerging contaminants, such as PFAS. The $29.5 million water treatment system announced today received a $10 million grant from the State Revolving Fund, a federal-state partnership that helps public water systems finance drinking water infrastructure projects. This project also received another $11.5 million in additional federal funding.

“We are grateful to the State Water Board for this grant to support a new PFAS treatment facility in Tustin,” said OCWD President Denis R. Bilodeau, P.E. “OCWD did not create the PFAS problem, but we are tackling it head on by partnering with our water retailers to build treatment systems to ensure our communities continue to receive drinking water that meets all state and federal standards.” 

Tustin’s new water system is one of seven led by OCWD to address PFAS in Orange County’s drinking water. The board has provided a total of $28.5 million from the State Revolving Fund to support six other projects. Nearly all of the projects are either complete or nearing completion.

In addition to providing financial support for water systems, the board has been investigating and assessing the presence of PFAS in water systems and groundwater statewide for several years. Based on this research, it launched protective health advisories for four kinds of PFAS that established response levels and notification levels to ensure transparency and protect human health. Last year, the board expanded testing for PFAS to nearly 4,000 wells in disadvantaged communities and is leveraging this data to map PFAS contamination and inform water treatment strategies.