West Virginia
Parkersburg
Your water system significantly exceeds federal PFAS limits. Immediate action recommended.
- Population served
- 34K
- Systems tested
- 1
- Compounds detected
- 29
- Above federal limits
- 1
Source: EPA UCMR 5 · Samples collected 2023–2026
What was found in Parkersburg’s water
1 PFAS compound exceeds federal drinking water limits in Parkersburg’s water supply.
PARKERSBURG UTILITY BOARD
Serves 34K people · GU
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
This compound is monitored under UCMR 5 but has no enforceable EPA drinking water limit yet.
About PFAS contamination in Parkersburg
## Summary
Parkersburg's municipal water system has received a failing grade, meaning the city's tap water contains at least one chemical at levels above federal safety limits. Testing of the Parkersburg Utility Board's water found PFOA — a synthetic chemical linked to industrial contamination — at 29.1 parts per trillion, more than seven times the EPA's legal limit of 4 parts per trillion. Fourteen additional PFAS compounds were detected or flagged for testing beyond PFOA. The contamination source is known: the DuPont Washington Works manufacturing plant, which operated upstream on the Ohio River for decades.
## What the data shows
Testing identified PFOA as the primary compound exceeding federal standards, coming in at 29.1 parts per trillion against an EPA limit of 4 parts per trillion — a 7.28-fold exceedance. A second compound, PFBS, was detected at 3.4 parts per trillion, though no federal limit currently exists for that chemical. Thirteen additional PFAS compounds were flagged in testing, but concentrations were not reported in the available data, making it impossible to assess their individual contribution to overall contamination levels. Only one water system serves the city, so all approximately 29,000 residents drawing from the Parkersburg Utility Board are affected.
## What residents should know
Given the failing grade and the PFOA exceedance, residents may want to consider point-of-use filtration certified to remove PFAS — specifically filters using activated carbon or reverse osmosis technology, which are recognized for reducing these compounds. Parkersburg has a legacy connection to the DuPont/Chemours legal settlement and the C8 Health Project, and residents should consult those resources for additional context. Contact the Parkersburg Utility Board directly for the most current testing results and any remediation updates.
About this summary: Narrative text on this page was drafted by an AI model (claude-sonnet-4-6) from EPA UCMR 5 data and reviewed before publication. The numeric data above is reported by water utilities directly to the EPA. If you spot an error, email data@checkyourwater.org.
What Parkersburg residents can do
Parkersburg's water exceeds federal PFAS limits. We recommend residents take action:
- Install a reverse osmosis (RO) or activated-carbon water filter certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or 58 for PFAS reduction. RO systems remove the widest range of PFAS compounds.
- Do NOT boil your water to remove PFAS — boiling concentrates them.
- Request your most recent Consumer Confidence Report from your utility and ask when PFAS treatment will be installed.
- Contact your local elected officials and water utility board to demand a remediation timeline.
- Get independent water testing through services like Tap Score (mytapscore.com) if you want to verify your in-home levels.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about PFAS exposure — especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have young children.
Primary contamination source: DuPont Washington Works plant
Settlement information: DuPont/Chemours settlement; C8 Health Project legacy
How Parkersburg compares
Parkersburg is one of 1 community we track in West Virginia where PFAS levels exceed federal limits.
Where this data comes from
- Testing program: EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle (UCMR 5)
- Testing period: 2023–2026
- Federal limits: EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) finalized April 2024
- Methodology: Read how we calculate grades
- Raw EPA data: EPA UCMR Occurrence Data
This data reflects EPA testing. Your water utility may have more recent results — contact them directly for the most current information.