PFAS above EPA’s limits in Georgia.
The short answer
27 utilities serving 1.3 million people, as they report it, had a location averaging above a limit, most often PFOS (22) and PFOA (21). The largest is Clayton County Water Authority, whose highest PFOS average was 7.1 ppt, 1.8 times the limit. The furthest above is Augusta - Richmond Co WS, at 11 times the PFOS limit.
These are EPA’s survey results, not violations: the limits take effect April 26, 2029, and compliance will rest on each utility’s own monitoring. EPA has proposed changes to the rule; as of Oct. 13, 2026, none is final.
Utilities above a limit
Largest first. Each one’s highest location average is for the limit it is furthest above, with the single highest sample of the same PFAS; its report has every result.
| Utility | Based in | Serves | Above | Highest location average | Highest single sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton County Water Authority | Morrow | 298,374 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 7.1 ppt1.8 times the limit | 8.5 ppt |
| Columbus | Columbus | 229,000 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOA 17 ppt4.3 times the limit | 34 ppt |
| Augusta - Richmond Co WS | Augusta | 204,000 | PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, Hazard Index | PFOS 44 ppt11 times the limit | 51 ppt |
| Dalton Utilities | Dalton | 99,315 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 4.3 ppt1.09 times the limit | 8.4 ppt |
| Calhoun | Calhoun | 53,090 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 15 ppt3.7 times the limit | 29 ppt |
| Floyd County | Rome | 46,143 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOA 9.6 ppt2.4 times the limit | 14 ppt |
| Rome | Rome | 45,586 | PFOA | PFOA 5.4 ppt1.4 times the limit | 17 ppt |
| Spalding County Water System | Griffin | 40,430 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 7.6 ppt1.9 times the limit | 13 ppt |
| Walker County Water Authority | Flintstone | 36,000 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 11 ppt2.7 times the limit | 22 ppt |
| Chatsworth | Chatsworth | 28,262 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 7.0 ppt1.8 times the limit | 12 ppt |
| Harris County Water System | Cataula | 22,922 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 6.4 ppt1.6 times the limit | 7.3 ppt |
| Woodstock | Woodstock | 19,742 | PFOA | PFOA 5.8 ppt1.4 times the limit | 6.8 ppt |
| Lafayette | La Fayette | 18,177 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 29 ppt7.1 times the limit | 56 ppt |
| McDonough | McDonough | 16,187 | PFOS | PFOS 5.0 ppt1.3 times the limit | 5.3 ppt |
| Centerville | Centerville | 14,701 | PFOA | PFOA 5.5 ppt1.4 times the limit | 6.1 ppt |
| Effingham County Surface Water System | Springfield | 12,293 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 5.8 ppt1.4 times the limit | 6.4 ppt |
| Port Wentworth | Port Wentworth | 11,000 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 6.5 ppt1.6 times the limit | 6.7 ppt |
| Savannah - I & D | Port Wentworth | 10,500 | PFOA | PFOA 5.1 ppt1.3 times the limit | 5.5 ppt |
| Gray | Gray | 9,339 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOA 5.6 ppt1.4 times the limit | 6.8 ppt |
| Chattooga County | Trion | 9,190 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOA 18 ppt4.5 times the limit | 20 ppt |
| Cochran | Cochran | 8,114 | PFOS | PFOS 10 ppt2.6 times the limit | 11 ppt |
| Senoia | Senoia | 7,528 | PFOA | PFOA 4.5 ppt1.1 times the limit | 6.7 ppt |
| Hampton | Hampton | 7,305 | PFOS | PFOS 5.1 ppt1.3 times the limit | 5.6 ppt |
| Chickamauga | Chickamauga | 5,720 | PFOA, PFOS | PFOS 12 ppt3.1 times the limit | 15 ppt |
| Blairsville | Blairsville | 4,035 | PFOS | PFOS 4.3 ppt1.09 times the limit | 4.5 ppt |
| Talbot County Water Works | Talbotton | 4,028 | PFOS | PFOS 5.8 ppt1.4 times the limit | 6.8 ppt |
| Oak Street Subdivision | Valdosta | 829 | PFOS | PFOS 9.2 ppt2.3 times the limit | 12 ppt |
14 more utilities in Georgia had a single sample above a limit but no location average above, so they are not listed; each report shows the sample.
Results: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026, samples from Jan. 3, 2023 to June 17, 2026, averaged by sampling location as EPA’s final UCMR 5 data summary does. Every state, and the full data as a CSV; how this list is made. People served is what each utility reports.
Where to go next
- Clayton County Water Authority’s reportEvery PFAS result with its dates, and the certification claim that handles each.Open the report
- Every stateThe national list, the largest utilities above a limit, and the data to download.PFAS above EPA’s limits
- Filters certified for PFASRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.Best water filters for PFAS