Water, an essential to life, is often taken for granted. From making your morning coffee before class to drinking water from your water bottle during lectures, water is the basis for everyday life. But how often does society pay attention to water quality?
Last month, the University of Connecticut released its 2025 Annual Water Quality Report, stating that all drinking water samples met the standards of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The report highlights UConn’s water supply system, high conservation rate and regulatory oversight.
Though the overall results seem standard, UConn received two Notices of Violation. In December 2025 and January 2026, the main campus in Storrs failed to submit additional tests for color, turbidity and odor. A third violation is anticipated for February 2026. UConn’s PFAS and PFOS were also of concern. PFAS, also known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a family of synthetic chemicals. Specifically, PFOS, also known as perfluorooctane sulfonate, is a highly toxic chemical within that chemical family.
According to the report, “The U.S. EPA has newly established standards for this class of chemicals. These regulations go into effect in 2027.” However, UConn is “diligent about reducing wasted water through routine leak detection and repair.”
Beyond internal reports, in a recent study by Culligan ZeroWater, Stores ranked 36th out of 50 among rankings for college town water quality nationally. The ranking was heavily weighted by an “F” grade in the PFOS category, despite having strong results in categories such as PFOA and Hazard Mixture.
Vice President of Marketing, Consumer Products at Culligan Julia Reardon said, “PFOS stands out as the town’s primary water-quality concern as students return to campus.” Storrs tested in the 4 -5 parts per trillion (ppt) range, which exceeds the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency standard of 4.0 ppt. Exposure to PFAS has also been linked to several health risks, including liver damage and reproductive issues.
Reardon noted that the ranking follows a broader trend of at least one harmful contaminant across 92% of evaluated college towns. She also noted that the ultimate goal of these rankings is to “raise awareness of water quality concerns and make complex water-quality topics easier to understand.” Rankings are there to better understand what contents are present in tap water.
Moving forward, students should research their local water quality. This can be found through the town’s water utilities Consumer Confidence Report on the EPA’s website. Independently certified water filtration products are highly recommended, especially to treat specific contaminants. Since Storrs’ main concern lies in PFOS, students should look for a water filter pitcher with National Sanitation Foundation/American National Standards Institute 53 certification with a PFOS reduction claim.
As UConn continues “to monitor water quality and provide updates on our efforts to reduce lead exposure in drinking water,” It is crucial that not only the students, but the general population of Storrs understand the importance of hygienic water and do not take it for granted.