Finding in-depth information about PFAS detections in the communities where we work and live is now a lot easier. As of January 2023, the U.S. EPA’s PFAS Analytic Tools are up and running. The tools make it simple to do mapping, graphing, and analysis of PFAS detections. They draw in data from a wide set of databases, including those with information on Superfund hazardous waste sites and PFAS manufacture and imports, as well as drinking water sampling, ambient environmental sampling, discharge monitoring, and more. They include data from multiple federal agencies as well as from some states, Tribes, and localities.

Some of the data sources span back decades and are rich with information. Other sources, such as wastewater discharge monitoring reports, have limited data for now, but that is expected to change soon. Right now, very few states require permitted water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) to monitor effluent for PFAS. With recent guidance from the EPA and the rulemakings it has initiated, PFAS monitoring by WRRFs is expected to increase exponentially.

Despite temporarily limited data in some areas, members of the public can already learn a lot through the PFAS Analytic Tools, which are part of the EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website. To start, people using the tools can learn about PFAS detections in their local drinking water systems. For example, looking into drinking water for Boston, Massachusetts (see Screen Shot 1 below), one can see that in the 108 samples taken at the single public water system for the city, PFAS were detected in 11 samples, and in 6 of those samples the concentration of a PFAS contaminant was above a current health advisory. The PFAS Analytic Tools display this information, as well as details such as which contaminants were detected, exact concentrations detected, detection limits, health advisory levels, sample collection dates, whether a given sample is the most recent, and more. The interface is easy to navigate, the data tables can be sorted by any column, and the columns can be moved around within the table with a simple drag and drop.

Looking at discharge monitoring data for a chemical manufacturing facility in New Jersey (see Screen Shot 2 below), one can see which PFAS chemicals have been discharged and in what quantities (kg/yr). Users can also plot the pollutant loads over time and link to other related resources in ECHO, such associated environmental justice screening information and a Detailed Facility Report.

Back on the starting screen of the PFAS Analytic Tools, an integrated map shows PFAS detections from all of the available data sources. Zooming into eastern Massachusetts and rolling over the points on the map (see Screen Shot 3 below) users get a preview of detections they can learn more about. These points represent locations with known or suspected PFAS (e.g. spills, Superfund sites, and federal sites such as Air Force Bases); sites of PFAS detected through sampling of water, soil, sediment, and biota; and more.

The PFAS Analytic Tools come with abundant how-to resources and metadata, including information on whether data sources are automatically refreshed or periodically updated, and detailed information about caveats, limitations, and known data problems. There is a recorded webinar called “Intro to the PFAS Analytic Tools.”

The EPA also has a large library of instructional videos about various other aspects of ECHO including the recording of a recent webinar called “CWA and Biosolids,” in which presenters reviewed how to search ECHO to learn about biosolids facilities around the country. The queries they demonstrated in the webinar included, “How can I search for wastewater treatment plants that have generated at least 1,500 dry metric tons of biosolids annually?” and “How can I search for wastewater treatment plants with at least one biosolids violation in the past year?”

Environmental professionals around the United States put an enormous effort into preparing and submitting reports to the EPA and other agencies. EPA’s ECHO data visualization tools make that valuable data available to everyone.