The National Ground Water Association was represented when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hosted public meetings on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) July 25 in Horsham, Pennsylvania, and August 7-8 in Colorado Springs.
Seth Kellogg, PG, a senior geologist at Geosyntec Consultants and NGWA Scientist and Engineers Section board member, provided testimony of behalf of NGWA in Pennsylvania. David Lipson, Ph.D., a principal hydrogeologist at HRS Water Consultants Inc. and
an NGWA Scientist and Engineers Section board member, spoke in Colorado. Both detailed the science and regulations supported by the Association.
They stated NGWA supports regulatory certainty and consistency on PFAS for private well owners, water systems, and industry as well as using sound science to evaluate the impacts of PFAS. They warned, though, there are policy and resource limitations
needing to be openly discussed.
They also added:
- The Association supports funding for technical assistance for private well owners.
- NGWA agrees communication of the risks of PFAS is critical and the Association is willing to partner with EPA and other stakeholders to educate private well owners.
- As PFAS continues to be widely used in consumer and industrial products, NGWA supports the use of best practices to protect source water from continued contamination from PFAS and all other contaminants.
“I thank the EPA for including NGWA in the National Leadership Summit on PFAS (in May) and for holding this meeting because gaining a local perspective is valuable,” Kellogg says. “I appreciate EPA Director (Peter C.) Grevatt for acknowledging
the challenges of private wells, an issue we raised at the national meeting.”
The meetings have featured a mix of national, state, and local perspectives. Those from states urged the EPA to take the lead on PFAS.
The EPA held an earlier public meeting June 25 in Exeter, New Hampshire. A fourth meeting will take place today in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The public meetings provide an opportunity to weigh in with EPA officials on the type of assistance needed to address PFAS contamination.
NGWA members are uniquely qualified to play a role in addressing these challenges. Many are working daily on PFAS-related issues, and NGWA’s Groundwater and PFAS: State of Knowledge and Practice,
published last year, is one of the most comprehensive tools available on the topic. The text was crafted by NGWA with the assistance of 36 volunteers, including Kellogg and Lipson.
NGWA also recently debuted a new online resource center on PFAS. Located on the home page at www.NGWA.org, the resource center includes:
- A PFAS FAQ sheet
- Top 10 facts about PFAS
- NGWA’s involvement in PFAS at the federal level
- A homeowner checklist
- A list of EPA community events.
Visit NGWA’s PFAS resource center for more information and downloadable materials about PFAS.