Utilities see new costs in proposed PFAS water rule - Roll CallWater utility groups estimated the national cost for treatment systems would exce...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
Water utility groups estimated the national cost for treatment systems would exceed $3.8 billion a year
Part of a filtration system designed to filter out PFAS substances from drinking water at a facility in Horsham, Pa. (Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Part of a filtration system designed to filter out PFAS substances from drinking water at a facility in Horsham, Pa. (Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
By David Jordan
Posted March 22, 2023 at 7:00am
The EPA's long-anticipated proposal to regulate a new category of toxic substances in drinking water may shift the financial burden onto utilities and ratepayers, industry groups warned.
On March 14 the agency proposed regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act that would set enforceable regulations for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds. For the two most common PFAS chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), it is proposing an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion, while for four others it is proposing a limit for a mix of them.
Used in a wide array of industrial applications – including firefighting foam, nonstick cookware and waterproof coatings – PFAS have been referred to as "forever chemicals" for their chemical structure which allows them to persist in both the human body and the environment. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to a number of adverse health outcomes including immune system dysfunction, impaired child development and cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Under the rule utilities would be required to monitor for the six PFAS chemicals and treat water if concentrations exceed the maximum contaminant level. While some states have instituted their own standards for PFAS at less stringent levels than the proposed EPA regulations, the finalization of a federal MCL would require additional treatment technology.
At a March 15 Senate Environment and Public Works hearing on the implementation of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox said that now is an "exciting time" to be moving forward the drinking water rule because the funds are provided under the law.
Attached link
https://rollcall.com/2023/03/22/utilities-see-new-costs-in-proposed-pfas-water-ruleTaxonomy
- PFAS