PFAS treatment is moving from rules to planned construction in California. On October 14, 2026, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) highlighted San Jose Water Company’s planned ion-exchange PFAS remediation facility at Williams Station as a model for how water utilities can meet the new federal PFAS standards.

We are the water experts. We track nanoplastics and microplastics alongside PFAS, and when a major California utility’s PFAS build-out is put forward as a statewide example, we want you to know what was approved, what still needs review, and what CPUC reported.

What CPUC described

Williams Station facility. New treatment vessels, water tanks, a pumping station and piping to connect wells to the treatment center. CPUC calls it the second-largest ion-exchange PFAS treatment facility in the country once built.
How ion exchange is framed. CPUC describes ion exchange as replacing toxic ion minerals with safer ions and calls it an affordable treatment option for water utilities.
GRC authorization. When CPUC approved San Jose Water’s General Rate Case last year, it authorized construction of the PFAS remediation facility. A separate proceeding this year is reviewing how the utility recovers PFAS-related infrastructure costs.
Federal deadlines CPUC listed. By 2027, utilities must complete initial PFAS testing and have an ongoing monitoring plan with public information. By 2029, they must meet new maximum contaminant levels and put treatment in place where testing shows levels above the EPA threshold. Separately, EPA proposed in May 2026 to let eligible systems request a two-year exemption on PFOA and PFOS, moving compliance from April 2029 to April 2031; that proposal is not final (EPA).

What San Jose Water has already done

16,000 samples collected since 2019 across 97 locations.
Ten wells voluntarily placed on stand-by or removed from service after PFAS findings.
Internal target: keep groundwater wells at or below 80% of the applicable maximum contaminant levels; wells above that go on a watch list with more frequent testing.
Williams Station is described as the utility’s largest groundwater production station; six wells there were placed on stand-by after PFAS were identified. San Jose Water says it operates 89 wells and 18 groundwater stations.

“San Jose Water provides an example of a water utility taking a proactive instead of reactive approach in handling new PFAS requirements,” Terence Shia, CPUC Water Division Director, said in the CPUC release.

“We went a step further than the initial state requirements because we wanted to better understand conditions across our system and make informed decisions that protect public health,” Suzanne Lorenzo, Senior Director of Water Quality for San Jose Water, said in the same release. “[…] Those measures have helped us manage PFAS in the near term, but lasting protection requires treatment.”

Read the announcement carefully

This is a utility infrastructure story, not a tap-sample study. CPUC is describing a planned treatment build and prior well-management steps — not publishing a new citywide tap-water survey.
Cost recovery is still under review. Construction authorization in the prior GRC is not the same as a final decision on every PFAS cost customers will see.
CPUC regulates investor-owned utilities. The commission says it regulates 84 investor-owned water utilities in California and reviews PFAS remediation requests under Resolution W-5226, plus capital needs in General Rate Cases.
Plastics are a separate topic. This release is about PFAS ion-exchange treatment; it does not cover nanoplastics or microplastics.

What the water experts recommend

Read your Consumer Confidence Report for whether your supply is groundwater, surface water or a mix, and which contaminants were detected.
If you are on a private well near a known PFAS source, consider certified-lab PFAS testing — utility treatment projects do not cover private wells.
Watch local rate cases when large PFAS capital projects are authorized; CPUC says San Jose Water's cost recovery is still under review.

Sources

Andrea Marvin, “Taking a Proactive Approach to Drinking Water Safety,” California Public Utilities Commission, October 14, 2026: cpuc.ca.gov

Photo: San Jose City Hall, San Jose, California, by HarshLight via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Illustrative city landmark; not a photo of Williams Station or treatment equipment.