Summary of the PFAS Testing
Gunnedah Shire Council has received the results from recent PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) testing in the local drinking water supply, offering assurances to residents that there is no cause for concern.
Council provides safe and reliable drinking water to properties located in the service areas of Gunnedah, Curlewis, Mullaley and Tambar Springs. Curlewis is supplied by Gunnedah Water Supply system.
Our drinking water is regularly tested and analysed by independent NATA accredited laboratories to comply with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) 2011. Council closely works with NSW Health to make sure Council supplied water is safe to drink.
Council has developed a Drinking Water Management System with the assistance from NSW Health to comply with NSW Guidelines for drinking water management systems.
Gunnedah Shire Council participated in the NSW Health arranged PFAS screening for its water supply systems. Under the program, water samples were collected from Gunnedah, Mulley and Tambar Springs water supply systems on 10 December 2024.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing results
|
Characteristic |
Current ADWG value* |
Proposed ADWG value* |
Gunnedah Supply System |
Mullaley Supply System |
Tambar Springs Supply System |
|
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) |
0.560 µg/L 560 ng/L |
0.2 µg/L 200 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
|
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) |
Sum of PFOS and PFHxS 0.07 µg/L 70 ng/L |
0.004 µg/L 4 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
|
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) |
0.03 µg/L 30 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
|
|
Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) |
No current guideline value |
1 µg/L 1000 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
<0.001 µg/L <1 ng/L |
*Units: microgram per litre (µg/L), nanogram per litre (ng/L)
PFAS chemicals - or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances - are synthetic chemicals found in many everyday products. They have been widely used in many industrial and consumer applications as they are effective at resisting heat, stains, grease and water. The guideline values show the amount of PFAS in drinking water that a person can consume on a daily basis over a lifetime without any appreciable risk to health
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMC) has stated that drinking water supplies that comply with the current Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) are safe to drink.
The proposed drinking water guideline values are a draft and will not be considered final until they are published by the NHRMC, which is anticipated for April 2025. The existing PFAS guideline values remain current until the updated values are finalised and published.
