Civic IQ Research · Data brief
PFAS came up 324 times in public water and wastewater meetings in 30 days
Civic IQ Research · Published October 9, 2026 · Meetings held September 9 to October 8, 2026
Between September 9 and October 8, 2026, PFAS came up 324 times in the public meetings of U.S. state and local agencies, in 35 states. California, Massachusetts and Wisconsin produced 36% of the items. Designing, piloting and building treatment was the largest single topic, and seven in ten items were still at the planning stage. Where a meeting said who pays, it most often named local water rates, and 28 items concerned the PFAS lawsuit settlement money now reaching utilities.
- Meeting items
- 324
- Distinct agenda and minutes items on PFAS, Sept. 9 to Oct. 8, 2026.
- States
- 35
- States with at least one PFAS item in the 30 days.
- Treatment items
- 120
- Designing, piloting or building PFAS treatment.
- Settlement items
- 28
- Receiving or spending PFAS settlement money, or pursuing claims.
Key findings
What the meeting record shows
- 1
Three states produce more than a third of the activity
California (43 items), Massachusetts (39) and Wisconsin (35) accounted for 117 of the 324 PFAS items, or 36%. PFAS came up in 35 states in all.
- 2
Treatment is the main event
120 items concerned designing, piloting or building treatment, more than testing (36) or new wells and source changes (21). Another 58 were about operating systems already built.
- 3
Most of the work is still being planned
225 of the 324 items, about seven in ten, were at the planning stage: studies, testing, design and funding applications, with no construction contract yet.
- 4
Local ratepayers carry the cost most often
Of the 145 items that named a funding source, 43 named water rates or the local budget. State loans appeared in 30, state grants in 27, settlement money in 22 and federal grants in 21.
- 5
Settlement money is arriving
28 items concerned PFAS lawsuit settlements. 20 were about receiving or spending the money, often on treatment design. Eight were about hiring lawyers or joining claims.
- 6
Treatment projects run to millions
The median stated treatment or remediation project was $6.1 million across 17 projects, from about $500,000 to $70 million. The median engineering, testing or construction contract was $389,085.
By state
California, Massachusetts and Wisconsin lead
The three states produced 117 of the 324 items. Florida, New Hampshire, Connecticut and North Carolina follow.
- California43
- Massachusetts39
- Wisconsin35
- Florida25
- New Hampshire17
- Connecticut15
- North Carolina15
- Michigan14
- Minnesota14
- New Jersey13
Scope
Treatment is the biggest topic
120 items concerned designing, piloting or building PFAS treatment. Another 58 were about running it: replacing filter media, rate studies and budget lines.
- Treatment design, pilots and construction120
- Operations, budgets and studies58
- Funding and settlements54
- Testing36
- New wells or source changes21
- Wastewater and biosolids14
- Policy12
- Firefighting foam9
Stage
Seven in ten items are still planning
No construction contract yet: studies, testing, design and funding applications.
- Planning225
- Work under way48
- Contract award25
- Not stated15
- Completed6
- Out to bid5
Funding
Ratepayers are named most often
Of the 145 items that named a funding source, 43 named water rates or the local budget, ahead of state loans (30), state grants (27) and settlement money (22).
- Water rates or local budget43
- State revolving fund or loan30
- State grant27
- Settlement money22
- Federal grant21
- Bonds9
Size
What PFAS work costs
- Treatment or remediation project
- $6,147,700
- Median of 17 stated amounts
- State loan or grant
- $1,092,000
- Median of 25 stated amounts
- Engineering, testing or construction contract
- $389,085
- Median of 40 stated amounts
From the record
What these items look like
A sample of named items from the 30 days, each checked against the agency's own record.
| Agency | Meeting | What was on the agenda |
|---|---|---|
| City of Brooklyn ParkMinnesota | Oct. 5 | A review of 2027 water rates named a $70 million PFAS treatment project as a major future cost driver. |
| City of NewportMinnesota | Oct. 1 | Council took up a $510,200 30% design plan for PFAS treatment plants at both municipal wells, paid for from the 3M settlement. |
| City of RobbinsdaleMinnesota | Oct. 6 | Council considered an $835,351 agreement for PFAS pilot testing at the water plant, funded by a state grant that ends June 30, 2027. |
| City of Ashland, through the Kentucky Infrastructure AuthorityKentucky | Oct. 1 | The state authority approved up to $5,895,578, plus $1,604,423 with full principal forgiveness, for Ashland's PFAS treatment project. |
| Town of WestfordMassachusetts | Sept. 24 | Finance committee considered appropriating $1,790,000 in 3M and DuPont settlement funds: 90% for the water department's PFAS project, 10% to help private well owners. |
| Village of MiddleportOhio | Sept. 14 | Council scheduled acceptance of a $4,479,501 Ohio EPA grant to build a water treatment plant that removes PFAS. |
Methodology
How we counted
- Source
- Civic IQ's index of agendas, minutes and board packets published by U.S. state, local and utility agencies. We queried it state by state on October 9, 2026 for PFAS, PFOA, PFOS and forever chemicals.
- Window
- Meetings held September 9 to October 8, 2026. Where a record's own title gave a different meeting date from our index, we used the record's date. For each state where a query hit its row limit, we confirmed the results reached back before September 9.
- Reading
- Each of the 873 records returned was read and classified with AI assistance: whether it concerns PFAS in a public agency's water, wastewater, biosolids or firefighting foam, and its stage, scope, dollar amount and funding source. Named examples were checked against the source records.
- Counting
- The unit is a meeting item: one agenda or minutes entry. The same record indexed twice counts once (64 removed), and 7 records filed under the wrong state were moved to the state the record itself names. A project heard at committee and then at council counts twice.
- Dollar figures
- As stated in the record, not audited. Medians only, counting each distinct amount once per state. Multi-year totals and statewide settlement figures are excluded.
What these numbers cannot tell you
- Agencies that do not publish minutes, or that we do not index, are missing, so these counts are a floor.
- A meeting item shows intent, not a purchase. Some planned treatment will be delayed, redesigned or never built.
- Some records do not name the agency in a structured field. At least 147 distinct agencies are named.
- Funding is counted only when a meeting names it, and 179 of the 324 items named none.
- The treatment project median rests on 17 stated projects, so treat it as a guide, not a benchmark.
Cite this report
Civic IQ, "PFAS in Public Water: Meeting Data, October 2026." Published October 9, 2026. civiciq.com/research/pfas-water-treatment-2026
The aggregate tables are free to reuse with credit under CC BY 4.0: download the CSV.
FAQ
Questions about this report
- How many water systems are dealing with PFAS right now?
- In the 30 days from September 9 to October 8, 2026, Civic IQ found 324 PFAS items in the public meetings of state and local agencies in 35 states, from at least 147 distinct agencies. The true number is higher, because not every agency publishes minutes.
- Which states have the most PFAS activity in public meetings?
- California (43 items), Massachusetts (39) and Wisconsin (35) together accounted for 117 of the 324 items. Florida (25), New Hampshire (17), Connecticut (15) and North Carolina (15) were next.
- Who is paying for PFAS treatment?
- Of the 145 meeting items that named a funding source, 43 named water rates or the local budget, 30 a state revolving fund or other state loan, 27 a state grant, 22 PFAS settlement money and 21 a federal grant.
- How much does PFAS treatment cost a utility?
- Among the 17 treatment or remediation projects with a stated cost, the median was $6.1 million, ranging from about $500,000 to $70 million. The median engineering, testing or construction contract was $389,085.
- What are utilities doing with PFAS settlement money?
- 28 items concerned PFAS settlements. 20 were about receiving or spending the money, for example appropriating it for treatment design or helping private well owners test their water. Eight were about hiring lawyers or joining claims.
- Where does this data come from?
- From Civic IQ's index of agendas, minutes and board packets that U.S. state, local and utility agencies publish. Each record was read and classified, duplicates were removed, and named examples were checked against the source. The aggregate tables can be downloaded as a CSV from this page.