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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. Click here for more information from Fairfax Water. 

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. 
 

Prince William Water’s goal is to set fair and equitable rates and fees while providing clean, safe drinking water to its customers and protecting the environment. A key element of providing clean drinking water and protecting the environment is ensuring that Prince William Water’s infrastructure is maintained and in good working condition.  This requires a significant capital investment every year. The most recent factors impacting rate increases are capital replacement needs; the rising cost of construction; and increases in purchased water, purchased water reclamation services and other operating costs.  

Prince William Water purchases most of its drinking water from advanced water treatment plants owned and operated by Fairfax Water. Wholesale water rates charged by Fairfax Water have increased significantly over the past few years.  

Wastewater in western areas of Prince William County is treated at the Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA) Water Reclamation Plant, and wastewater in the eastern areas of Prince William County is treated at the H.L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility. Both facilities are among the most advanced water reclamation facilities in the country. Recently, wastewater treatment costs at both treatment plants have also increased considerably. 

In addition, Prince William Water sets rates so that we can properly maintain our infrastructure, meet or exceed environmental regulations, and continue delivering the quality and reliability our customers expect from us.