The Water Security Agency (WSA) in Saskatchewan has the legislative authority to regulate water and wastewater treatment systems and enforce standards with respect to drinking water and wastewater quality in the province. Recently, the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water (CDW) published the drinking water quality objective of 30 ng/L for Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The WSA is part of the CDW will adopt the PFAS objective in the province. Before adoption of the objective, the WSA would like to conduct a scientific study that include determining the exposure levels of PFAS in Saskatchewan waters at selective water, wastewater treatment plants and receiving waters. The study will also aim to determine the treatment efficiency and assess other impacts, if any. The science needed to assess the impacts of these compounds on the human health is still emerging. The objective of the study is to determine the occurrence and concentrations of PFAS from selective water and wastewater treatment plants and downstream locations of wastewater treatment plants that discharge treated effluent into fish bearing waters in the province. The results will be useful in determining the exposure levels of PFAS in Saskatchewan waters and treatment efficiency that will help in adopting PFAS objective in the province. This paper includes the results of sampling/research studies that are conducted up to date to determine the exposure levels PFAS in water.
