NSW Environmental Protection Agency NSW Government
 

Statewide PFAS ambient monitoring program

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is undertaking the state’s first dedicated statewide PFAS ambient monitoring program.

Officers from the NSW EPA, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) Science and the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD) Fisheries have begun collecting water, sediment and biota (fish) samples at more than 200 sites across NSW.

This data will help establish baseline PFAS concentrations in the environment which are essential for understanding long‑term trends, assessing potential environmental and human exposure risks and informing future policies and programs to manage PFAS across NSW.

It will improve our understanding of how PFAS moves, behaves and accumulates in different settings, and how levels vary across urban, agricultural, remote and marine areas.

PFAS in the environment

PFAS are widely used in everyday products and because they are so common, they can also be found in the natural environment, including waterways and soils. While people may come into contact with small amounts regularly, this does not necessarily pose a health risk.

Program design

The PFAS Ambient Monitoring Program has been designed in line with national guidance which is set out in the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP) 3.0. Sampling will occur across a range of land uses, with all sample sites located at least two and mostly five kilometres from known PFAS sources to ensure we capture true ambient (background) conditions.

Samples will be taken of surface water, sediment and fish across all five land-use categories outlined in the NEMP 3.0.

A mix of urban, agricultural, remote and marine environments will be sampled across NSW to give a comprehensive statewide picture of PFAS presence.

Sampling will be done in the following catchment areas:

  • Clarence
  • Darling
  • Gwydir
  • Hastings
  • Hawkesbury
  • Hunter
  • Lake Illawarra / Port Hacking
  • Macleay
  • Macquarie
  • Manning
  • Murrumbidgee
  • Namoi
  • Port Jackson
  • Richmond
  • Shoalhaven
  • Snowy
  • Tuggerah Lake

A summary of results for all sampling locations will be published in late 2026.