PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), are toxic “forever chemicals” used in everyday items like nonstick pans, waterproof clothing, and food packaging, and they are showing up in Houston’s waterways. These chemicals don’t break down over time and pose serious health risks to residents linked to cancer, immune issues, and developmental delays in children and young adults. This summer, Bayou City Waterkeeper joined a national PFAS monitoring study to better understand how prevalent PFAS chemicals are within our watershed.
(See Waterkeeper Alliance’s full report: Invisible Unbreakable Unnatural: PFAS Contamination of U.S. Surface Waters)
We partnered with Waterkeeper Alliance (WKA) to sample PFAS in Hunting Bayou as part of the second phase of their ongoing nationwide study. Waterkeeper Alliance has been monitoring PFAS through their Act50 campaign, working with local partners to track these dangerous pollutants in communities across the country.
(Read more about our findings from the first phase of this work in our previous post: Unprecedented Analysis Reveals PFAS Contamination in Lower Galveston Bay Watershed.)
The PFAS sampling at Hunting Bayou, led by Bayou City Waterkeeper in collaboration with Waterkeeper Alliance and with support from Houston Public Works, highlights how community science and active monitoring can reveal what’s really flowing through our waterways. Hunting Bayou was chosen not only for its proximity to the Homestead Wastewater Treatment Plant, but also because it runs through one of Houston’s most heavily industrialized frontline communities in Northeast Houston.
Why Hunting Bayou?
Hunting Bayou flows through Northeast Houston, one of BCWK’s four Water Justice Zones, where communities have experienced decades of environmental disinvestment and health disparities. According to the EPA’s EJScreen tool, this area ranks high for environmental justice indicators, including exposure to wastewater discharge, industrial pollution, and socioeconomic vulnerability. These concerns are amplified by the fact that residents along the bayou have historically been communities of color who face disproportionate exposure to polluted land, air, and water. This mirrors the broader environmental justice priorities outlined in BCWK’s Policy Agenda.
Figure 1: EJScreen data highlights the environmental burdens surrounding Hunting Bayou, including high levels of pollution and social vulnerability in nearby Northeast Houston communities.
With guidance from environmental staff at the City of Houston, BCWK was able to identify a PFAS sampling site upstream and downstream of the Homestead Wastewater Treatment Plant. This plant discharges treated water directly into Hunting Bayou. The image to the right shows Hunting Bayou on the day the samples were deployed at the site. The Homestead WWTP releases treated water directly into Hunting Bayou. While specific discharge volumes for this facility are not publicly available, Houston’s 38 WWTPs collectively handle roughly 250 million gallons per day, according to Houston Public Works. This location was selected in order to help us better understand how PFAS might be entering the waterway and moving downstream into nearby neighborhoods, accumulating pollutants in areas like those in Northeast Houston. Wastewater treatment plants are not currently required to monitor or filter PFAS, allowing them to fly under the radar as unregulated sources of contamination.
How We Sampled for PFAS
To understand how PFAS might be moving through Hunting Bayou, BCWK used a passive sampling technique developed by SiREM, called PFASsive™. Unlike traditional grab sampling, which gives a snapshot at a single point in time, passive samplers are left in the water for nearly a month. This allows them to collect a more accurate picture of how PFAS levels fluctuate over time and offers a clearer sense of potential long-term exposure.
Images above show Wetland Outreach and Policy Specialist, Alenka Cardenas, retrieving our samples from Hunting Bayou.
With support from Houston Public Works, samplers were deployed both upstream and downstream of the Homestead Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The upstream location served as a baseline to compare water quality before it passed through the plant’s discharge zone. The downstream sampler captured what was flowing out, allowing us to assess the WWTP’s potential contribution to PFAS contamination. Once collected, the samples were sent to Eurofins Sacramento for lab analysis using EPA Method 1633, which can detect a wide range of PFAS compounds.
Shown below is a Satellite image showing PFAS sampling locations on Hunting Bayou.The upstream and downstream sites were selected around the Homestead Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to assess potential PFAS discharge into the bayou.
PFAS Results
Our sampling revealed elevated levels of several PFAS compounds downstream of the Homestead Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), including PFHxA, PFPeA, PFBS, PFBA, and 6:2 FTS. These are short-chain PFAS, which are being increasingly used as substitutes for older, long-chain compounds like PFOA and PFOS. Often marketed as safer, short-chain PFAS are still persistent in the environment and can accumulate over time. (See Full Article Here)
In our results, 6:2 FTS was the highest concentration detected downstream, this compound is often linked to industrial discharges and wastewater effluent. The presence of these compounds downstream, but not upstream, strongly suggests the WWTP may be a source of PFAS contamination in Hunting Bayou.
These findings are part of a larger national study led by Waterkeeper Alliance, with 122 sites sampled across 34 states and D.C. Bayou City Waterkeeper’s results contribute to this growing national dataset and help paint a clearer picture of how PFAS are moving through communities like Northeast Houston.
As seen in the table below, our site at Hunting Bayou revealed some of the most elevated PFAS concentrations in the study. includes Bayou City Waterkeeper’s site. These results underscore the need for stronger monitoring and regulation of PFAS at wastewater facilities, especially in environmental justice communities like Northeast Houston.
Figure 3: PFAS Sampling Results from Hunting Bayou as part of Waterkeeper Alliance’s national study. BCWK’s samples (highlighted) show elevated PFAS downstream of the Homestead WWTP.
The Future of Our Waters
Our work in Hunting Bayou is part of a broader effort to protect communities from “invisible” threats and ongoing industrial risks like PFAS. By collecting this data, we were able to document PFAS chemicals in a highly industrialized part of our watershed and demonstrate a correlation between contamination and nearby facilities. The presence of PFAS downstream, but not upstream, strongly suggests the Homestead Wastewater Treatment Plant may be contributing to contamination. Because PFAS discharges into Waters of the United States (WOTUS) are not currently regulated under Texas’ wastewater permitting system, this points to a major regulatory gap. Wastewater treatment plants and other dischargers cannot continue to operate without accountability.
Take Action
Sign Waterkeeper Alliance’s PFAS petition urging the EPA to regulate these chemicals.
References and Acknowledgements
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- EPA EJScreen: https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen
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- Waterkeeper Alliance Phase II Sampling Report(7.30.24 Final Phase II …)
We wanted to acknowledge Grant Moss with Bayou Preservation Association to help identify regulatory and monitoring site logistics and for connecting us to Houston Water staff. Additionally, we want to thank Christian Breene with Waterkeeper Alliance for coordinating this nationwide study.