EPA Releases First Dataset for Three-Year Project Monitoring PFAS, Lithium in U.S. Drinking Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the first dataset collected under the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5), which is intended to provide new information that will improve EPA’s understanding of the frequency that 29 per- and polyfluouralkyl substances (PFAS) and lithium are found in U.S. drinking water systems, and at what levels. The monitoring data on PFAS and lithium will help the EPA make determinations about future actions to protect public health under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The data collected under UCMR 5 will ensure science-based decision-making and help EPA better understand national-level exposure to 29 PFAS and lithium, and whether they disproportionately impact communities with environmental justice concerns. The initial data release represents approximately 7 percent of the total results that EPA expects to receive over the next three years. The agency will update results quarterly and share them with the public in EPA’s National Contaminant Occurrence Database (NCOD) until completion of data reporting in 2026.