{"paper_id":"0001e12f-4dce-4d27-97b2-bce079e8f975","body_text":"Mitigating PFAS Contamination: Assessing the Impact of California's Legislation from 2018-2022 on Drinking Water Quality | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mitigating PFAS Contamination: Assessing the Impact of California's Legislation from 2018-2022 on Drinking Water Quality Sameer Dutt Bagga, Iris J.N. Parshley, Lindsay Tallon This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5055657/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract This study evaluates the impact of California’s specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) legislation on perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) contamination levels in public drinking water. We conducted a comparative statistical analysis using data from the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rules (UCMRs), specifically UCMR 3 and UCMR 5, to assess PFOA and PFOS levels in active public water systems during the pre-legislation period (2017) and the post-legislation period (2023). Levene's test was performed to assess differences in variances, followed by unpaired and Welch’s t-tests to compare mean PFAS concentrations between the two time periods. Our results indicate a significant decline in both PFOA and PFOS levels post-legislation, suggesting that robust state-level regulatory measures can effectively reduce PFAS contamination. These findings highlight the potential for California’s comprehensive approach to serve as a model for federal and national policy aimed at mitigating PFAS exposure and protecting public health. Environmental Policy California PFAS Drinking Water Policy Analysis Environmental Justice Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-5055657\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":true,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":351968632,\"identity\":\"9f3339d7-c91e-40f7-85cd-b3c03841943a\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Sameer Dutt Bagga\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPCCA2Dy8J8KIMnM3EC0FsYHPGdAWhiJ18JswNsG1opfi3z76cQHH/fckZf3X/xMQnJebTR/O1DLj4ptOLUYnMndbDjj2TPDjTeemUkYbjueO+MwYwNjz5nbuLUw5G6T5jlwmHHjjANmEonbjuU2ALUwM7bh1iLf/3b77z8HDttvnHH8m8TBOcdy5xPSwnAjdxszw4HDifP5e4wNGxtqcjcQ0mJw4+1myZ4Dz5I3SPAUPmY4diB3I1DLQXx+ke/P3fjhx4E7tvP7j284zFBTlzvv/OGDD35U4HEYwroEEHUYzDlAWD3YOrC6OqIUj4JRMApGwcgCAN/sarbMMk2MAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3333-5209\",\"institution\":\"Ridge High School\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Sameer\",\"middleName\":\"Dutt\",\"lastName\":\"Bagga\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":351968633,\"identity\":\"1c4cac73-4e91-4b0c-9a87-4d7cd7197d3a\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Iris J.N. 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