The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced recently it will not pursue plans to regulate the discharge of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater.
According to The Spokesman, the proposed guideline drafted during the Joe Biden administration would have limited PFAS discharges to under four parts per trillion, but Donald Trump’s administration will no longer pursue such plans.
The National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six PFAS that was announced in April 2024 was not impacted.
As reported by NGWA a year ago, the EPA finalized a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) establishing legally enforceable levels, Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), for six PFAS in drinking water: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA as contaminants with individual MCLs, and PFAS mixtures containing at least two or more of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS using a Hazard Index MCL to account for the combined and co-occurring levels of these PFAS in drinking water.
The EPA also finalized health-based, non-enforceable Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) for these PFAS:
- For PFOA and PFOS, the EPA set MCLG, a non-enforceable health-based goal, at zero. This reflects the latest science showing that there is no level of exposure to these contaminants without risk of health impacts, including certain cancers.
- The EPA set enforceable MCLs at 4.0 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS individually. This standard will reduce exposure from these PFAS in drinking water to the lowest levels that are feasible for effective implementation.
- For PFNA, PFHxS, and “GenX Chemicals,” the EPA set the MCLGs and MCLs at 10 parts per trillion.
- Because PFAS can often be found together in mixtures, and research shows these mixtures may have combined health impacts, the EPA set a limit for any mixture of two or more of the following PFAS: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and “GenX Chemicals.”
The final rule requires:
- Public water systems must monitor for these PFAS and complete initial monitoring by 2027 followed by ongoing compliance monitoring. Water systems must also provide the public with information on the levels of these PFAS in their drinking water beginning in 2027.
- Public water systems by 2029 must implement solutions that reduce these PFAS if monitoring shows that drinking water levels exceed these MCLs.
- Beginning in 2029, public water systems that have PFAS in drinking water which violates one or more of these MCLs must take action to reduce levels of these PFAS in their drinking water and must provide notification to the public of the violation.
NGWA supported this drinking water PFAS standard in comments submitted to the EPA. While the drinking water standard doesn't pertain to residential water wells, NGWA recommends the millions of Americans using water wells as their daily source of water to test and treat their water well systems for PFAS.
NGWA has long been an industry leader in providing PFAS research, education, and resources to the public and scientific communities. Learn more by visiting NGWA.org/PFAS.
The Association will promote support for the standard at the 2025 NGWA and WQA Fly-In, March 25-26 in Washington, D.C. Click here to learn more and register.