Well water throughout California contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’

November 2020 CalMatters Data analysis and interactive maps and graphics
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A CalMatters investigation found that nearly 200 California drinking water wells had exceeded new state thresholds for toxic PFAS “forever chemicals,” with contamination concentrated in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties. I created the maps and charts that showed which wells exceeded safety limits, where extreme hotspots were located, and how few of the state’s wells had even been tested.