The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is directing $15.7 million to seven water projects across Southern California aimed at removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, from drinking water supplies. The investment is part of a broader federal push to address the synthetic chemicals, which have been linked to health concerns and are found in water systems nationwide.
The funding comes on top of a recently announced $77.257 million EPA investment in California communities tackling PFAS contamination.
Among the recipients, the Western Municipal Water District will receive the largest share, $6.45 million, to rehabilitate aging sewer lines at March Air Reserve Base and prevent PFAS-contaminated groundwater from infiltrating the system. La Habra Heights County Water District will receive $2.5 million to build a remediation and treatment system at five groundwater wells, while the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency will receive $2.1 million to construct a new treatment facility at an existing well site.
Three agencies will each receive approximately $960,000: the City of Riverside to modify the Palmyrita Water Treatment Plant, the Santa Margarita Water District to fund preliminary design work for a new filtration plant, and the City of South Gate to treat four wells that supply more than half of the city's total water demand. The Orange County Water District will receive $1.75 million to install an ion exchange treatment system at two wells in Santa Ana.
Acting EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Michael Martucci said the investment was intended to deliver concrete results for California communities.
Beyond this round of funding, the EPA said it has made $4 billion available nationwide through Drinking Water State Revolving Funds dedicated to PFAS and emerging contaminants, along with more than $6.5 billion in low-interest financing through its Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan program. The agency also announced a new initiative called PFAS OUT, described as an outreach effort targeting small, rural, and disadvantaged water systems that may have fewer resources to address contamination on their own.
