Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions about the Private Well PFAS Testing and Mitigation Rebate Pilot Program. This program offers limited free private well testing and rebates for PFAS water treatment in six participating counties. What we learn will inform future efforts to support New Yorkers on private wells.

About the Program

Public health agencies and New Yorkers have become more aware of PFAS in the environment. Studies show that human exposure to PFAS is widespread. Nearly all people in the United States have some PFAS in their bodies.

People can be exposed to PFAS by breathing air and dust and consuming water contaminated with PFAS. Sources include PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam, industrial facilities, food, and consumer products. Some PFAS remain in the environment and in the human body for many years, but levels go down once exposure is reduced. PFAS have also been detected in public drinking water supplies and in private wells near where these chemicals were manufactured, used, or disposed.

Scientists continue to research the health effects. Certain PFAS may be linked to effects on the liver, immune system, impaired fetal growth and development, and increased risks of some cancers. Learn more about PFAS.

Because PFAS can stay in water for a long time and may affect health, this pilot program helps private well users in six counties find out if high levels are present in their drinking water. Eligible applicants can also get a rebate to take steps to address PFAS in drinking water.

When PFAS is in your drinking water, your highest exposure is typically from drinking and eating foods prepared with that water. Washing and bathing does represent a significant source of exposure.

This pilot program focuses on PFOA and PFOS because:

  • They are the most common forms of PFAS detected in New York State drinking water.
  • They remain in the human body and environment for a long time.
  • They are not routinely tested for by homeowners in private wells.
  • They are expensive to test for and treat.
  • They are the most well researched types of PFAS in terms of impact on human health and proven treatment technologies.
  • New York State has specific drinking water standards or maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), which are used as guideline values for these types of PFAS in private wells.

The exact source of PFAS can be difficult to identify because they have been so widely used and are widespread in the environment. PFAS have been used in common manufacturing and household consumer products. Sources of PFAS in groundwater can come from manufacturing, landfills, wastewater, contaminated soils, or fertilizers.

Test your well every year for bacteria and follow this advice to test for other contaminants in private wells. People with PFAS water treatment systems should also test their water at least once per year to make sure the system is working properly. Talk to your water treatment contractor about a maintenance plan for testing and maintain your system. This can be a good option to help spread costs of maintaining your system over the lifetime of the system.

Public water systems are already tested for PFAS. Public water systems must also meet New York State public drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS of 10 nanograms per liter (ng/L or 10 parts per trillion). Learn more about how public water systems are protected from PFAS.

Email: PrivateWellPFAS@hrpassociates.com

Your test results will be shared with you along with a determination to reduce PFAS in your drinking water if you are eligible for a PFAS water treatment rebate. Information collected by this program may also be used to help inform public health and environmental protection efforts, without sharing any personally identifying information.

All personal data collected as part of this program is protected, confidential, and secure. Any identifying information including names, addresses, personal emails, and phone numbers will not be used for any other purpose other than implementing this pilot program, and will not be shared with anyone else.

A transient non-community water system is a facility that serves the public for more than six months out of the year. Rest stops, parks, convenience stores, and restaurants with their own water supplies are examples of transient non-community water systems.

Program Eligibility

If your drinking water comes from a private well, property owners and tenants in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Suffolk, Ulster, or Westchester Counties can apply to have their water tested when the program is accepting applications in your county. Property owners must consent to PFAS water testing, and are the only ones eligible to apply for a rebate. When tenants apply for testing, they must include a notarized, signed, Property Owner Acknowledgment Form. Property owners are the only ones who can apply for a rebate.

Businesses or facilities considered transient non-community water systems may also apply. A transient non-community water system serves the public for more than six months out of the year. Rest stops, parks, convenience stores and restaurants with their own water supplies are examples.

Small businesses in these counties with private wells that do not serve the public may also apply for this program.

Your well must not be associated with a known remediation program already being addressed by DEC or a responsible third party.

We will accept applications in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Suffolk, Ulster, and Westchester when contracts are in place. Please look for announcements on this website and from those counties.

New York State prioritized counties for this pilot program that are more likely to have PFAS contamination not associated with a specific industrial site or source in densely populated areas with private wells.

The participating counties were selected based on the size of the population with private wells that could be potentially impacted by PFAS contamination. Selection considered the number of properties with private drinking water supply wells outside of a sewer district that meet at least one of these criteria:

  • Population density greater than 300 people per square mile
  • Designation as an Environmental Justice Area or disadvantaged community
  • Designation as a sole source aquifer service area

Tenants must apply for this program with a signed, notarized Property Owner Acknowledgment Form. The New York State law, often called the implied Warranty of Habitability, requires property owners to keep a property fit for human habitation and make necessary repairs after proper notice.

New York State always recommends that people take actions to reduce exposures from contaminants in drinking water. Please review Reducing PFAS in Private Wells. It describes a range of PFAS water treatment options, including those that are less costly than a PFAS whole-house carbon filtration or ion exchange water treatment system point of entry treatment system (POET).

Application Process

The first step is to apply to have your private well tested. Applications can be submitted online or by mail at health.ny.gov/PrivateWellPFAS.

If you are an applicant in Suffolk County and your private well was tested by Suffolk County Department of Health Services on or after January 1, 2025, those results may be used to apply when we are accepting applications for Suffolk County. Otherwise, your well must have been tested through this program to be eligible to apply for a rebate.

Samples must be analyzed by a certified laboratory. Results will be sent as soon as they are available and following New York State quality assurance and review.

Public water systems are already tested and drinking water is treated before it is delivered to your home or facility. Public water systems must meet New York State public drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS of 10 nanograms per liter (ng/L or 10 parts per trillion). Learn more about how public water systems are protected from PFAS.

This pilot program is committed to providing rebates to anyone who has participated in testing and is eligible for a PFAS water treatment rebate. It provided an initial $1.5 million to each county to fund rebates for PFAS water treatment. We pause accepting testing applications so that we can ensure that we have available funds for anyone who is eligible for a rebate. After we get the test results back from this first round of water testing we intend to free up funds to accommodate more water testing.

Rebates and Costs

No. Rebates are only available for new installations or connections determined as eligible for a rebate through this program.

The costs that are eligible for a rebate are outlined in this document: Eligibility criteria for rebates. Please carefully review this document with a professional water treatment contractor before conducting any work or submitting your rebate.

No. Costs associated with ongoing testing or maintenance of treatment systems are not covered under the program. It only covers the installation and one drinking water test immediately following in-home PFAS water treatment installation to ensure that PFOA and PFOS in drinking water is being addressed. That test is not required when connecting to a public water system because those systems are already monitored and treated by public water systems before water is delivered to your home.

You need to properly maintain your treatment system over time to reduce levels of PFAS and other contaminants. Talk with your professional water treatment contractor about maintenance plan options that may help spread out these costs over the life of your system. The cost of maintenance plans varies and should be considered when deciding whether to participate in this program.

You need to properly maintain your treatment system over time to reduce levels of PFAS and other contaminants. Talk with your water treatment contractor about maintenance plan options that may help spread out these costs over the life of your system. The cost of maintenance plans varies and should be considered when deciding whether to participate in this program.

No. This rebate program will only cover treatment systems listed in the Eligibility Criteria for Rebates

POUTs may be eligible for a rebate if a whole house water treatment system or POET cannot be installed, such as where space is limited, or where a typical network of distribution pipes throughout a structure does not exist. POUTs are only available for private wells in homes and are not an option for transient non-community water systems.

Depending on the volume of applications received, rebates may take several months. Rebate applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.

Treatment

You should always connect to a public water system if you have the opportunity. Public water does not require maintenance at the property owner’s expense. Public water is regularly monitored and treated to meet protective drinking water standards.

New York State strongly encourages using a professional water treatment contractor to install your treatment system.

When your PFAS water treatment system is installed by a professional contractor, they will perform a post installation test showing levels are below 10 ng/L for PFOA and PFOS.

Property owners who test independently must use a New York State Accredited Environmental Laboratory to collect and analyze their sample. Use the main search to find laboratories in your community. Under the Advanced Search options:

  • Category: choose potable water
  • Analyte: choose PFOS
  • Method: EPA 537.1 version 2
  • Repeat search, change Analyze to PFOA and keep other categories the same. Carefully follow all instructions and use materials provided by the certified laboratory to collect your sample.

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