The Clear Take on Water and Wastewater Today

Latest EPA regulations could have major impact

The EPA recently announced it has proposed a regulation that would require public water systems to track per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, notify the public when PFAS and PFOA are present in water and take action to remove the chemicals if contamination exceeds four parts per trillion. The proposed regulation, which falls under the existing Safe Drinking Water Act, would have a major impact on our water industry. In particular, the cost nationally for local operations to comply with the new standards is reported to be nearly $800 million. There is debate about whether federal funds would fully offset these costs.

According to the Washington Post, agency officials say they expect to complete a final rule by year’s end, but delays are common. Officials originally planned to propose these mandatory drinking-water standards last fall. A decision on classifying PFAS as a hazardous substance was first slated for February, but that proposal is still in interagency review. We’ll be keeping our eye on this process.

Please feel free to reach out to PeopleService if you’d like to talk more about how this proposed regulation could impact your operation.