Orange City Council has welcomed the release of the final Australian Drinking Water Guideline values for PFAS by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), confirming that Orange's drinking water continues to meet national safety standards.
The updated national guidelines, released this month, follow a public consultation process conducted by the NHMRC, which began in October 2024. The updated values set safe levels for four PFAS chemicals in drinking water, including a revised level for PFOS, which has increased from 4 nanograms per litre (ng/L) in the draft guidelines to 8 ng/L in the final version.
Orange City Council has been proactively monitoring PFAS levels in treated drinking water since 2018.
Mayor Cr Tony Mileto said the updated guidelines provide reassurance for the community.
"We welcome the NHMRC's final guidelines and the thorough consultation process that led to them," Cr Mileto said.
"Orange residents can be confident that the water supplied by Council is safe and well within the new national standards. Our testing shows PFAS levels are lower than the limits set by both Australian and international guidelines."
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of manufactured chemicals used in a wide range of products including (historic) firefighting foams, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, and waterproof clothing. While not added to drinking water, PFAS can enter the environment through various sources.
Orange City Council uses a high-quality water treatment system that includes granular activated carbon filtration, which is known to assist in removing PFAS from water.
The Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) has also welcomed the new guidelines, noting they are based on the latest scientific evidence and are designed to protect public health over a lifetime of exposure. The guidelines apply to treated drinking water and are intended as a trigger for further investigation, not a pass/fail threshold.
Council's Infrastructure Policy Committee Chair Cr Jeff Whitton said Council had a strong focus on meeting community expectations on water supply quality.
"We'll continue to monitor our water supply and stay up to date with the latest science and regulations," Cr Whitton said.
"Our priority is always the health and safety of our community."
The final guideline values come into effect alongside proposed federal restrictions on the importation of major PFAS chemicals, scheduled to begin on 1 July 2025, as noted in the Senate Select Committee on PFAS Interim Report (Section 2.30).
