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Between March and May, a slight change is made in the water treatment process to facilitate an effective flushing program and maintain water quality. During most of the year, chloramine (ammonia and chlorine) is added to drinking water as the primary disinfectant. In spring, our drinking water providers switch to free chlorine. This temporary change in the water treatment process helps prevent bacteria from becoming overly resistant.  

You may notice a chlorine taste and odor in your drinking water while free chlorine is utilized. If you are especially sensitive to the taste and odor of chlorine, try keeping an open container of drinking water in your refrigerator. This will enable the chlorine to dissipate, thus reducing chlorine taste and odor. 
 

Prince William Water purchases treated drinking water from Fairfax Water and the City of Manassas to meet the needs of Prince William Water customers in Prince William County. Prince William Water remains fully confident in their ability to provide safe and reliable drinking water that meets regulatory treatment and distribution requirements. Read Fairfax Water's statement about PFAS.

Like our regional and national water utility colleagues, Prince William Water supports the EPA’s efforts to limit exposure to PFAS compounds, which enter the environment through industrial and household uses. While Fairfax Water has developed preliminary estimated costs to treat PFAS, including required infrastructure updates, this is an evolving topic and estimates may change. In addition, it is important to note that as only one of Fairfax Water’s wholesale customers, Prince William Water would only be responsible for our portion of the total costs. We will continue to work with our wholesale providers to address PFAS treatment in a cost-effective manner.

Prince William Water has been collecting and testing samples from our water distribution system for PFAS compounds since 2021. We will continue this sampling and reporting process and are working with regulatory agencies and our wholesale water providers to ensure that we maintain the safety and high quality of our drinking water into the future. 

Updated December 2024

Every five years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviews and selects a list of unregulated contaminants for public water systems to monitor. This study benefits the environment and public health by providing valid data on the occurrence of these contaminants in drinking water. The EPA uses this data to develop regulatory decisions for emerging contaminants. This requirement is mandatory for all public water systems that serve more than 10,000 customers.

UCMR5 requires testing for 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lithium. This list includes the PFAS chemicals that EPA is proposing new Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs): PFOA and PFOS as individual contaminants, as well as PFHxS, PFNA, PFBS and HFPO-DA (commonly referred to as GenX Chemicals) as a PFAS mixture.  

In 2024, Prince William Water collected quarterly samples for the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR5) in its East and West water distribution systems. Results indicated that Prince William Water's East system were slightly above the EPA's proposed Maximum Contaminant Level for both PFOA and PFOS. PFOA and PFOS were not present in the sampling performed for Prince William Water's west system.

Prince William Water will work with regulatory agencies and our wholesale water providers to ensure that we maintain the safety and high quality of our drinking water. Water systems have until 2029 to comply with the EPA’s stringent new PFAS limits.

Our Water Quality Report provides up-to-date information about the quality of your water.

For more information, please contact Prince William Water’s Regulatory Affairs Office at (703) 331-4162 or email water_quality@pwwater.org.