PFAS Removal
for Arizona Drinking Water
PFAS — the “forever chemicals” — have been detected in Arizona water supplies including parts of the Phoenix metro and military-adjacent communities. Aqua Cat installs NSF-certified PFAS removal using activated carbon, ion exchange, or reverse osmosis — matched to your test results.
Flat-Rate Installed Pricing
Price includes:
- ✓ Pentair PFAS cartridge + Aqua Cat catalytic carbon tank + Clack WS1 valve + all parts + loop plumbing
- ✓ Aqua Cat 2-year installation warranty
Loop plumbing included. Written estimate provided before any work begins.
Cap covers most installs where existing plumbing is up to code. If existing plumbing needs to be brought up to code, we show you what is needed and give you a written estimate first. Materials: We use copper or American-made Pex-A piping. Most water treatment systems and parts we install are manufactured in the USA, many sourced through our Phoenix-based Aqua Cat supplier.
What Are PFAS, and Why Do They Matter in Arizona?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a family of 12,000+ man-made chemicals used in firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, water-repellent fabrics, and industrial coatings. They are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment or in the human body — they accumulate.
The EPA finalized enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for six PFAS compounds in 2024, including PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA, with the limit for PFOA and PFOS set at 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt). PFAS have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, decreased immune response, developmental effects in children, and elevated cholesterol. Arizona communities adjacent to military installations or industrial facilities have detected PFAS above the EPA limit, and the state is in the middle of a multi-year sampling program for public water systems.
How PFAS Are Removed from Drinking Water
The EPA recognizes three Best Available Technologies (BAT) for residential PFAS removal:
- Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) — a high-capacity carbon bed adsorbs PFAS as water passes through. Effective for long-chain PFAS (PFOA, PFOS) and the most common whole-house option. Whole-house PFAS treatment at Aqua Cat: $3,450 flat installed (The Caracal Package).
- Ion Exchange Resin — PFAS-selective anion-exchange resin captures both long- and short-chain PFAS more effectively than GAC. Higher upfront cost but longer service life; not an Aqua Cat flat rate — industry pricing runs roughly $3,500–$8,000 installed.
- Reverse Osmosis (point-of-use) — rejects 90–99% of PFAS at the kitchen sink. Most cost-effective for drinking and cooking water if you don’t need whole-house treatment. $829–$1,250 flat installed.
Aqua Cat designs the system around your water test — some Arizona homes need only an under-sink RO, others need whole-house carbon plus an RO at the kitchen tap. We don’t install a stage you don’t need.
When to Test Your Water for PFAS
If any of the following applies, get a PFAS-specific test:
- You live within 5 miles of a current or former military installation, airport, or fire-training facility (PFAS firefighting foam contamination is the #1 source nationally).
- Your municipal water system has issued a PFAS advisory or notice.
- You’re on a private well in an industrial corridor or near landfills, plating shops, or chrome-plating operations.
- You’re unusually sensitive (pregnancy, immunocompromised, or have young children at home).
The $185 Premium Water Test does not include PFAS — PFAS testing requires a specialized lab method (EPA 537.1) and is ordered on its own. SimpleLab lists its PFAS Water Test at $334 for 18 PFAS compounds. You order it directly from the lab; Aqua Cat then reads the results with you against the EPA’s PFOA and PFOS limits, free.
Service Areas
Aqua Cat installs PFAS removal systems across Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, Flagstaff, and the entire Phoenix metro area, with priority for homes near Luke Air Force Base and any home flagged in an Arizona Department of Environmental Quality PFAS notice.
Related: whole-home RO, whole-house water treatment, water testing.
This price applies in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Sedona, Cottonwood, the Verde Valley, Flagstaff and the Phoenix metro — it is not a Prescott-only rate. Outside those areas, call and you’ll get a straight yes or no on whether the job works.
PFAS Removal Questions
In April 2024, the EPA finalized enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels for six PFAS compounds. The limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt) each. PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA each have a 10 ppt limit. Public water systems must comply by 2029. Private well owners are not regulated but face the same health risks above these levels.
The EPA recognizes three Best Available Technologies for residential PFAS removal: granular activated carbon (GAC), PFAS-selective ion-exchange resin, and reverse osmosis. GAC is the most common whole-house solution. Ion exchange handles short-chain PFAS more effectively. Reverse osmosis at a kitchen sink rejects 90–99% of PFAS for drinking and cooking water at the lowest cost.
Point-of-use reverse osmosis is $829–$1,250 flat installed and protects drinking and cooking water. Whole-house PFAS treatment is $3,450 flat installed — The Caracal Package: a Pentair FloPlus Protect PFAS cartridge plus catalytic carbon tank. The cartridge is certified by IAPMO R&T to NSF/ANSI 53 for up to 99.82% reduction of five PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA and PFHpA), with a 40,000-gallon capacity - roughly a 12-month cartridge life. PFAS-selective ion-exchange systems run $3,500–$8,000 installed but offer the longest service life and broadest spectrum of removal. Aqua Cat sizes systems to your water test rather than upselling capacity you don't need.
Most basic carbon faucet and pitcher filters do not effectively remove PFAS. They are not certified to NSF/ANSI 53 PFOA/PFOS reduction or NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis standards. To verify, check the filter packaging for NSF certification specifically naming PFOA and PFOS. Uncertified filters may reduce PFAS partially but cannot be relied on for compliance with the EPA's 4 ppt limit.
PFAS testing requires a specialized lab method (EPA 537.1) — it's not part of a standard mineral panel. You order a PFAS kit directly from SimpleLab, currently $334 for 18 compounds. The lab mails you the kit, you take the sample and mail it back, and Aqua Cat reads the results with you against the EPA's PFOA and PFOS limits at no charge. Results return in 3–4 weeks.
PFAS levels in Prescott municipal water have not been widely flagged in public Arizona Department of Environmental Quality reporting, but ongoing statewide sampling is incomplete. Homes near current or former military airfields, airports, fire training facilities, or on private wells in industrial corridors should test individually. Arizona has documented arsenic, chromium-6 and PFAS concerns statewide; PFAS specifically is concentrated near point sources.
Aqua Cat handles PFAS treatment, and reads your PFAS lab results with you free, across Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Sedona and Cottonwood — an owner-operator who does the install himself. PFAS needs its own lab method (EPA 537.1), currently $334 at SimpleLab — see water testing — because PFAS cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and no home test strip detects it. If results come back positive, treatment is usually either an under-sink reverse osmosis system for drinking water or a whole-house carbon system for every tap. Private well owners in Yavapai County are not covered by any utility testing program — if you are on a well, no one is testing your water but you.
Test for PFAS. Treat with Confidence.
You order the certified PFAS lab test; Aqua Cat installs NSF-rated removal systems matched to your results. Free quote, no upselling.