PFAS chemicals were detected at every one of 20 Georgia surface-water monitoring locations included in a national analysis of testing conducted between 2022 and 2024.

The findings include contamination in the Chattahoochee River, according to the Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center. But the analysis does not establish that Roswell’s treated drinking water is unsafe.

The report, produced with Frontier Group, compiled existing monitoring data from government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Nationally, PFAS appeared at least once at 1,329 of 1,602 locations, or about 83%.

The Georgia results cover a limited set of monitoring locations. Many waterways lack recent testing data, the researchers said.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals used in products including nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing and firefighting foam. Their resistance to breaking down has earned them the nickname “forever chemicals.” Long-term exposure to certain PFAS has been associated with reproductive and developmental effects, weakened immune response and some cancers.

The Chattahoochee, Conasauga, Savannah and Altamaha rivers were among Georgia waterways with detections, GPB News reported.

For Roswell residents, the distinction between river sampling and drinking-water testing matters. The city utility primarily draws from Big Creek, operates a groundwater well and can purchase supplemental water from Fulton County’s treatment plant, which draws from the Chattahoochee. Residents outside the city utility’s service area receive Fulton County water.

Roswell’s annual water quality report separately lists detections of several PFAS compounds in samples collected in 2023 and 2024.

EPA has established nonbinding health goals of zero for two specific compounds, PFOA and PFOS, alongside enforceable drinking-water limits of 4 parts per trillion for each. Those limits do not apply to every PFAS chemical or directly determine the safety of river water. EPA’s standards distinguish among compounds.

Environmental groups are calling for more monitoring and legislation requiring industrial facilities to disclose PFAS releases into public sewer systems, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

Residents can review results for their own provider through Roswell’s water quality report or Fulton County’s water quality information.