PFAS Testing for Penn State Extension Private Well Programs

Helping Pennsylvania Well Owners Test for PFAS

This summer, RJ Lee Group analyzed and individually reported more than 150 private well water samples for PFAS using EPA Method 533. The samples came from homeowners who attended Penn State Extension education programs on private water supplies.

Penn State ran two webinars and six in-person classes to teach well owners about water quality. Our role was to make the testing side work: getting sampling kits into homeowners' hands, getting samples back to the lab, and returning a clear result to every household.

About the Penn State Extension Program

There are over one million private wells and springs in Pennsylvania supplying drinking water to homes and farms. Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not regulate private drinking water supplies, so homeowners are responsible for testing and treatment.

Penn State Extension's Understanding PFAS in Private Water Systems program teaches well owners how PFAS move through the environment, how people can be exposed, and how to test and monitor a private supply. Pennsylvania residents whose primary home uses a private well, spring, or cistern received a complimentary PFAS water test for attending.

Extension programs on PFAS testing for private water systems were made possible through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) 2025 Environmental Education Grant Program and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, a cooperative agreement with CDC Environmental Health Capacity Building Initiative (Grant #1NUE1EH001414-01-00).

Two Formats, Individual Results

Each format needed its own sampling logistics, and every sample was handled and reported individually.

• Webinars. For more than 50 homeowners, we prepared individual sampling kits, shipped them to each household, received the returned samples, and analyzed them.
• In-person classes. For each of the six classes, we shipped large coolers holding 20 sampling kits to the teaching location, then analyzed the samples when they came back to our lab.

In total, we analyzed more than 150 samples, and each homeowner received an individual report on their water.

Why EPA Method 533

EPA Method 533 is a U.S. EPA drinking water method that measures 25 specific PFAS, including those that are subject to federal and state drinking water regulations, by isotope dilution, solid-phase extraction, and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). It covers 11 PFAS that EPA Method 537.1 does not, including shorter-chain, more water-soluble compounds such as PFBA.

For a private well owner, that matters because no utility is testing on their behalf. A standardized, validated drinking water method gives each household a result they can compare against published standards and discuss with their local Extension educator.

Partnering on Community Water Testing

Programs like those offered by Penn State Extension work best when education and testing move together. RJ Lee Group handled the parts homeowners never see, including kit preparation, shipping, sample receipt, analysis, and individual reporting, so educators could focus on teaching.

If your university, agency, or community organization is planning a private well or drinking water testing program, contact RJ Lee Group to talk through PFAS analysis and sampling options.