News about PFAS contamination can cause understandable concern, but a result from another suburb, water supply or contaminated site does not automatically describe the water at your property.
Australian homeowners should begin with location-specific information from their water provider, drinking-water regulator or environmental authority. The appropriate next step also depends on whether the property receives regulated town water or uses a private bore, tank or other unregulated supply. (https://www.cdc.gov.au/topics/environmental-health/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas)
Confirm Who Supplies Your Drinking Water
Start by checking a recent water bill or your local council’s website to identify the drinking-water provider for the property.
A water provider may supply several treatment plants, reservoirs or distribution zones. Confirm which system serves your address rather than relying on a general result from the same state or city.
Record:
- Property address and postcode
- Name of the water provider
- Water-supply zone, if available
- Treatment plant or source catchment, if published
- Whether the property also uses rainwater, tank water or bore water
Search the Water Provider’s Website
Many Australian water utilities publish water-quality reports, monitoring results or dedicated PFAS information pages.
Search the provider’s website for terms such as:
- PFAS
- PFOS
- PFOA
- PFHxS
- PFBS
- Water-quality report
- Monitoring results
- Drinking-water analysis
Check the date, sampling location and units used in the published results.
A report from an earlier year may not represent the latest monitoring. Results from raw water, a treatment plant and the distribution network may also describe different sampling points.
Sydney Water, for example, publishes PFAS monitoring results for water produced at its filtration plants and the Sydney Desalination Plant. (https://www.sydneywater.com.au/water-the-environment/how-we-manage-sydneys-water/safe-drinking-water/water-analysis/pfas-and-drinking-water/pfas-monitoring-results.html)
Compare Results With Current Australian Guidance
The National Health and Medical Research Council updated the PFAS health-based values in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines in June 2025.
The current values checked on 31 August 2026 are:
| Compound | Australian guideline value |
|---|---|
| PFOA | 200 ng/L |
| PFOS | 8 ng/L |
| PFHxS | 30 ng/L |
| PFBS | 1,000 ng/L |
No Australian health-based guideline value is currently available for GenX chemicals. These values support long-term drinking-water management and should not be interpreted as a boundary between immediate illness and no health risk.
Contact the Water Provider When Results Are Unclear
If PFAS information is not published, contact the provider directly.
Ask:
- Has the supply serving my address been tested for PFAS?
- Which PFAS compounds were included?
- When and where were the samples collected?
- Were samples taken from raw water, treated water or the distribution network?
- What were the reporting and detection limits?
- How do the results compare with current Australian guideline values?
- Is further monitoring planned?
- Has any local health or environmental authority issued advice?
For regulated public supplies, the provider is responsible for testing and managing drinking-water quality in consultation with the relevant state or territory regulator. NHMRC advises that households generally do not need to arrange separate home PFAS testing when their reticulated supply meets the applicable guideline values. (https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-advice/environmental-health/water/PFAS-review/questions-and-answers)
Check Government and Environmental Notices
PFAS monitoring may be more relevant near locations where PFAS-containing firefighting foams were historically used, including some airports, defence facilities and firefighting training areas.
Check information published by:
- Your state or territory health department
- The relevant environmental protection authority
- Local council
- The Australian Government PFAS advice service
- Defence environmental-investigation programs where applicable
Give priority to current government notices and laboratory results over general social-media claims or results from unrelated locations.
What if You Use a Private Water Supply?
Responsibility is different for private bores, wells, tanks and other unregulated supplies. The property owner is generally responsible for assessing and testing the water. (https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-advice/environmental-health/water/PFAS-review/questions-and-answers)
If the property is near a known or suspected PFAS source, contact the relevant environmental and health authorities before arranging treatment.
PFAS sampling should be completed by appropriately trained personnel using a laboratory capable of suitable PFAS analysis. Sampling materials, handling and transport can affect results. NHMRC recommends professional collection and a NATA-accredited laboratory where testing is required.
Do not choose a filtration system solely from a news report or result from another property. Confirm the water source, compounds and concentrations first.
What Should You Do Next?
For town water, begin with the supplier’s latest results and local regulatory advice. For a private supply, obtain professional guidance and suitable testing before selecting treatment.
If you already have a laboratory report, send HG PureWater the report, postcode, water source and intended use through our contact page. Treatment recommendations must be based on the actual application, and no filter should be assumed to reduce PFAS without evidence applying to the exact model. Read our guide to reverse osmosis and PFAS.
