The NSW Government welcomes the National Health and Medical Research Council's publication today of the updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, which confirm new, lower values for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Australian drinking water supplies.
The NSW Government can confirm that all NSW public drinking water supplies - across metropolitan and regional areas - currently meet the updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
All Sydney Water and Hunter Water drinking water supplies meet the updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and agencies have a regular testing regimen in place to ensure water is safe to drink.
All 83 local water utilities in regional NSW who supply areas not serviced by Sydney and Hunter Water tested their water supplies in 2024. This testing initially showed that 80 of 83 water utilities had water supplies that met the draft guidelines released in October 2024.
The NSW Government has been working with the remaining three local water utilities that had water supplies that exceeded the draft guidelines to manage PFAS levels and conduct ongoing monitoring. These three water supplies also now meet the updated guidelines.
NSW Health has recommended that all 83 local water utilities test each of their drinking water supplies again in 2025, to assess the risk and also undertake source water testing in order to determine the ongoing frequency of PFAS testing in drinking water.
While these local water utilities meet the new drinking water guidelines currently, ongoing work and longer term investment is required to maintain current levels. The NSW Government will work with councils to ensure appropriate long-term measures are put in place.
Importantly, any PFAS detections above the guideline values, like the detection of many other water quality characteristics, should not be viewed as a pass/fail measure, but should trigger investigation and guide monitoring and response actions.
The NSW Government is working to ensure all NSW water supplies - in metropolitan and regional areas - are equipped with long-term solutions to ensure effective management of PFAS risks including treatment if needed.
This includes in the Blue Mountains, where the NSW Government understands residents have concerns about their supply after 2024 testing showed the presence of PFAS in drinking water at the Cascade Water Filtration Plant.
A number of measures have been put in place and according to the most recent monitoring results, NSW Health and Sydney Water have advised drinking water in the Blue Mountains meets the updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and is safe to drink.
More information about the NSW Government's action in relation to PFAS and drinking water is available on the PFAS web page.
Minister for Water Rose Jackson said:
"We welcome the updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines published today. Since the draft proposal in October last year, our agencies have been working hard to bring our state's water utilities into line with the new, lower PFAS values.
"As a result of this work, testing in 2024 or 2025 from all drinking water supplies across NSW meets the updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and I want to assure people that NSW drinking water remains safe to drink.
"This isn't about meeting the updated guidelines as a one-off testing result - Sydney Water, Hunter Water and WaterNSW have a rigorous system of regular monitoring to detect and manage PFAS and help address levels before they become an exceedance.
"I recognise there is community concern about PFAS levels in water, and we are committed to continuously improving our approach in line with national guidelines and the latest evidence."
Minister for Health Ryan Park said:
"The NSW Government understands the community's concerns about PFAS; our management of PFAS is informed by the best science and evidence.
"That is why we have supported the NSW Chief Health Officer convening the NSW Health Expert Advisory Panel on PFAS to review the latest evidence and provide independent advice."
Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said:
"Our work dealing with this legacy contaminant is ongoing in NSW with more than 1,100 legacy sites assessed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority, and the NSW PFAS Expert Panel and the PFAS Technical Advisory Group established to provide cross-government assessment and advice."
