As the EPA passes enforceable PFAS limits, the culprits of this pollution are not being held accountable. Downstream drinking water providers are to be burdened with costs for treatment, rather than polluters.
What are the new limits?
No higher than 10 ppt for 4 other PFAS compounds
No higher than 4 ppt (parts per trillion) for 2 legacy PFAS
Who is held responsible? Municipalities, not the industrial polluters.
New PFAS Drinking Water Standards Prompt Lawsuits and Regulatory Actions in North Carolina
As the new drinking water standards, (MCLs – Maximum Contaminant Levels), are being implemented across the watershed, many cities will face major costs for drinking water treatment in order to meet these new low limits. The new enforceable drinking water standard is no higher than 4 ppt (parts per trillion) for two legacy PFAS, and no higher than 10 ppt for 4 other PFAS compounds. While these new MCLs are a win and will be protective of community members, downstream drinking water providers are the ones burdened with costs for treatment, rather than polluters. Now several cities including Pittsboro and now the City of Graham have filed lawsuits against the PFAS producing companies themselves. The hope of these lawsuits is that the major corporations will help to cover costs of treatment for these small town systems.
Secretary Elizabeth Biser, head of DEQ released a memo this week stating they have the authority to set groundwater and surface water standards for PFAS compounds, and plan to do so. This was in response to a letter from the NC Chamber of Commerce, in which the President and CEO of the Chamber stated that NCDEQ does not have the authority to do so because of the Hardison amendments. This misinformation was dispelled in Biser’s letter to the Chamber and to the Environmental Management Commission. The excessive costs and burdens on drinking water utilities because of the new MCLs should expedite this surface water standard process.
