Report Shows Widespread “Forever Chemical” Pollution in Oregon Drinking Water

Analysis Shows High Rate of Contamination by Toxic PFAS Chemicals, Most Drinking Water Still Untested

Hermiston, OR – An alarming number of drinking water systems across Oregon now test positive for toxic “forever chemicals,” according to a new report by Oregon Rural Action (ORA).

The report looks at data from the Oregon Health Authority and U.S. EPA on drinking water testing for per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, from the last five years. What ORA found is that more than 17 percent of drinking water systems tested for PFAS in that time were contaminated, often at high levels. 

“It’s disturbing that pollution from these highly toxic chemicals is this widespread - from Hermiston to Grants Pass to Portland,” said Kristin Anderson Ostrom, executive director of ORA. “This drinking water pollution and the impact on public health can not be ignored. It’s troubling that there hasn’t been much public warning. It’s unlikely that the people drinking water from these polluted systems know about it.” 

The report found contaminated water systems of all sizes and in urban and rural communities, including cities in southern, central, and eastern Oregon, the Willamette Valley, and on the Oregon coast. Perhaps most alarming are the multiple, severe PFAS detections in small water systems serving rural school districts. 

PFAS are a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals that essentially never break down, hence the name “forever chemicals.” They don’t occur naturally, and the chemicals have been used widely in industrial and consumer products. According to a 2024 EPA press release, the latest science shows that there is no level of exposure to certain PFAS chemicals “without risk of health impacts, including certain cancers.” 

Research increasingly shows that PFAS are extremely toxic, even in very small amounts. Ingesting PFAS has now been linked to higher rates of kidney, prostate, and testicular cancer, pregnancy complications, developmental issues in children, and autoimmune issues, among other health concerns. 

“A lot of pollution is measured in parts per million, which is a very small amount, but PFAS are so toxic that we measure them in parts per trillion,” said Kaleb Lay, director of Policy and Research with ORA. “For context, a part per trillion is like one drop of water in 27 olympic swimming pools, or one second out of about 32,000 years.” 

Despite the health risks of PFAS, there is currently no enforceable limit for the contaminants in drinking water. The U.S. EPA proposed limits for a small number of PFAS under the Biden administration in 2023, but those rules were ruled back by the Trump EPA in 2025 and now won’t take effect until at least 2031. 

Meanwhile, only a small fraction of Oregon’s 3,500 public drinking water systems have been tested for PFAS–about eight percent in the last five years. And for the nearly one million Oregonians estimated to rely on private domestic wells for drinking water, Oregon has no public program to help them test their drinking water for PFAS. 

“People who get their drinking water from domestic wells often draw from the same polluted sources as cities,” said Nella Parks, Senior Organizer at ORA. “PFAS are invisible, odorless, and tasteless and not commonly tested for, so people have no warning. The state is testing and has the responsibility to all Oregonians–including domestic well users–to inform them if their water source is unsafe.” 

The report makes several recommendations for how to begin tackling the problem of PFAS pollution in Oregon’s drinking water, beginning with warning the public where high levels of PFAS have been found, a rapid increase in testing that includes domestic wells, and providing resources to protect affected Oregonians from further exposure. ORA also urges the state to address the sources of PFAS pollution by identifying large-scale sources of PFAS pollution, preventing further contamination, and cleaning up polluted water sources.

The report notes that the status quo of Oregon’s current approach to PFAS – minimal monitoring – is clearly not protective of public health, particularly in the wake of the federal government’s retreat from PFAS regulation. 

Kaleb Lay, director of policy & research kalebl@oregonrural.org; 541-805-8651