The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is limiting the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl or PFAS chemicals in drinking water by setting Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). PFAS chemical have been linked with cancer, high blood pressure, and increased cholesterol levels. Erie Water Works Chief Executive Officer Paul Vojtek says Erie Water Works is doing everything they can to ensure Erie's water is clean and safe.

"We became aware of PFOA and PFOS a few years back so we started doing voluntary testing and keeping track of the results, which were all good," Vojtek said.

"We are in pretty good shape but if there is any issue that we have to worry about, we'll take the right steps to mitigate it," he said.

Lisa Daniels, Acting Deputy Secretary for the Office of Water Programs at the DEP, says typically, the DEP waits for the United States Environmental Protection Agency to act before making a decision like this but they felt they did not have time to wait.

"We did not want to wait another three or four years for the EPA to put those protections in place," Daniels said.

"We thought it was important enough to move forward with our own state standards to make sure that we have safe levels of PFAS in our public water systems," she said.