Article Text

Fairfax Water’s effort to remove long-lasting PFAS chemicals from Northern Virginia’s drinking water could take years and impose substantial costs on customers, utility leaders told Fairfax County supervisors on June 2.

Jamie Bain Hedges, the utility’s general manager, described PFAS contamination as a “generational issue” during a 90-minute joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and Fairfax Water Board.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of thousands of chemicals used in consumer, commercial and industrial products for roughly 80 years. Often called “forever chemicals,” their components break down very slowly and can persist in the environment.

Fairfax Water supplies water directly and indirectly to 2.2 million people across Northern Virginia. The utility monitors more than 90 drinking-water contaminants, including PFAS.

Hedges said the system complies with all current requirements and is preparing to meet future standards. Although its water is slightly above incoming federal PFAS limits, she said further reductions are achievable and customers should remain confident in its quality.

The utility is testing several treatment strategies to identify the most cost-effective long-term option. Hedges, who has led Fairfax Water since 2021 after more than three decades with the organization, said treatment is only part of the solution.

Virginia water suppliers are also seeking tighter state restrictions on chemicals and other contaminants that can enter groundwater and eventually reach water-system intakes. Preventing PFAS pollution at its source would reduce the amount utilities must remove later, she said.

Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk called source control vital, while acknowledging that groundwater contamination remains a difficult problem.

Federal Rules Remain in Flux

In mid-May, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to withdraw national tap-water limits for four types of PFAS and give utilities additional time to address two others: perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS.

The proposal, which has not been finalized, would move the PFOA and PFOS compliance deadline from 2029 to 2031.

Environmental advocates have raised concerns about the planned rollback. The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators supports extending the deadline, arguing that many systems could otherwise miss the 2029 target because they cannot complete all the necessary work in time.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn predicted that federal timelines and requirements could continue changing as the practical difficulties of compliance become clearer. Fairfax Water, he said, must move quickly without allowing the costs to become unmanageable.

Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay expressed hope that officials at every level of government could reach a workable compromise. Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said local leaders should expect more federal regulation.

Customers Could Ultimately Carry the Cost

Fairfax Water has already turned to the courts in an effort to shift cleanup expenses away from its customers.

In early 2025, the utility rejected proposed national settlements with chemical companies and sued manufacturers of PFAS-containing firefighting foam. Fairfax Water said the proposed compensation would not come close to covering the cost of removing the chemicals from its water.

The utility argued in a Jan. 13, 2025, statement that companies that profited from PFAS should pay for treatment and cleanup, rather than Fairfax Water ratepayers.

The EPA has since finalized additional agreements, including one involving cleanup of a DuPont facility in Richmond. Regulators, however, have said available funding remains insufficient to confront PFAS contamination broadly.

Hedges previously estimated that Fairfax Water’s one-time and continuing PFAS expenses could exceed $500 million. Because the utility is supported entirely by user fees, those costs would ultimately reach its retail and wholesale customers.

Fairfax Water currently reports the lowest customer costs among Washington-area providers. Hedges said she expects its rates to remain below those of surrounding systems, but warned that the utility cannot escape the financial effects of stricter regulations and increasingly complex treatment.

PFAS is only one of several forces pushing water-service costs higher, she said. As new contaminants and standards emerge, treating drinking water will become more difficult and more expensive.