The Orange County Grand Jury’s June 9, 2026 report on “PFAS and Public Awareness – A Closer Look at Orange County Drinking Water” requires Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) and other retailers to enhance PFAS monitoring, treatment, and public outreach. Recommendations call for OCWD and its member agencies to monitor PFAS in groundwater and surface water and “promptly implement PFAS treatment when response levels are exceeded” by July 1, 2029, and for all retailers to consistently include PFAS advisories, treatment status, and compliance information in consumer confidence reports and on websites. IRWD staff are bringing this report and a draft response to the Water Resources Policy and Communications Committee and Board for authorization, signaling that PFAS infrastructure and communications plans will need to be updated over the next several years.These mandates imply additional PFAS treatment facilities, upgrades to existing systems, and new or expanded communications and education initiatives across Orange County water retailers. While no specific projects or vendors are named yet in this agenda, the combination of regulatory deadlines, the Grand Jury’s emphasis on infrastructure readiness and public communication, and IRWD’s need to coordinate with OCWD point to upcoming needs for engineering, design-build, treatment media, O&M support, data/monitoring tools, and public outreach services. Vendors who can help utilities plan, finance, design, equip, or communicate PFAS treatment and education programs have a multi-year window to influence strategy before procurements are fully defined.

Grand Jury findings emphasize that PFAS contamination is present in Orange County groundwater and that PFAS treatment implementation currently varies across cities and districts, creating pressure to standardize and expand treatment and outreach.