Potable/Drinking Water Quality
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing
Moree Plains Shire Council recently participated in the NSW Health-arranged per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) screening for local drinking water supplies.
PFAS chemicals - or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances - are synthetic chemicals found in many everyday products. They have been widely used in many industrial and consumer applications as they are effective at resisting heat, stains, grease, and water.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) have set values for the amount of PFAS in drinking water that a person can consume on a daily basis over a lifetime without any appreciable risk to health. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&RMC) has stated that drinking water supplies that comply with the current ADWG are safe to drink.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMC) has stated that drinking water supplies that comply with the current Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) are safe to drink.
The NHMRC finalised and published the PFAS Fact sheet in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines on 25 June 2025.
|
Characteristic |
ADWG value* |
Moree |
Mungindi |
Boggabilla |
Pallamallawa |
Toomelah |
|
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) |
0.2 µg/L 200 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
|
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) |
0.008 µg/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
|
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) |
0.03 µg/L 30 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
|
Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) |
1 µg/L 1000 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
|
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid |
No health-based guidelines |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
0.001 µg/L 1 ng/L |
*Units: microgram per litre (µg/L), nanogram per litre (ng/L)