EPA sets limit for 'forever chemicals' in drinking water, touts $9B in clean-up aid

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The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday will issue enforceable limits for so-called "forever chemicals" in drinking water.

The national drinking water standard could reduce the exposure to the harmful chemicals for about 100 million people, the agency said.

PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and known as "forever chemicals," have been widely used in many products and manufacturing processes for decades because of their unique stain- and water-repellent properties, as well as heat resistance.

Many PFAS are persistent in the environment, so they accumulate and can be found in water and soil across the world. Long-term exposure, even to traces of some of these chemicals, has been linked to cancer, liver and heart damage, developmental effects and reproductive disorders.

EPA set limits for five individual chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS and "GenX chemicals," as well as limits for a combination of two or more of those PFAS. The protective limits are similar to the draft regulation issued a year ago.

"These are science-based standards that will protect human health," said Rebecca Aicher, project director with the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues.

"It's for a limited number of PFAS — we know there are thousands of PFAS and this is for six — but it will greatly reduce exposure from drinking water. So it's a really big step."

Public water systems that detect the contaminants above the protective level will have up to five years to meet the standard. They must notify users the testing results.

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Utilities brace for treatment costs

EPA's contaminant limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 parts per trillion, the lowest limit at which the compounds can be detected with today's technology. If the chemical shows up, public water systems would have to clean it up.

For PFNA, PFHxS and “GenX chemicals,” the EPA is setting the limit at 10 parts per trillion. There is also a maximum contaminant level for a combination of two or more of these chemicals.

Many public water systems have been monitoring these contaminants for at least a decade, but disclosure and clean-up requirements were not enforceable until now.

About 10% of all drinking-water systems across the country are expected to require treatment for one or more PFAS, according to an analysis with EPA data by Black and Veatch, an international consulting engineering firm. The national cost would come to about $3.8 billion annually.

Costs to build and run treatment systems or find new water sources are high. In Tucson, the public utility spent over $30 million out-of-pocket to deal with PFAS contamination across its distribution area.

Smaller utilities that already struggle to sample and comply with rules for about 100 other chronic contaminants in drinking water, could face even bigger strains.

Over 70 water systems in Arizona have a well with PFAS levels above the proposed EPA limit, according to data from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

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Federal funding available, better treatment

Public water systems could use federal grant dollars and lawsuit settlement money to fund treatment systems.

The most common technologies so far are granular activated carbon, reverse osmosis and ion exchange systems. But there are also newer technologies like "foam fractionation."

Aicher, with the EPI Center, believes in the time the EPA gives utilities to comply, even more information will be available to take the next steps.

"There are pilot projects going on in different parts of the country and I think those will inform how they'll manage this at scale," she added. There are still questions on how to manage the waste stream coming out of these treatment plants, but the science behind it is advancing "relatively rapidly."

A total of $9 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be distributed to public water systems to help address PFAS contamination. States can use up to $1 billion of that funding to support private well owners, which are not regulated by the state or federal government when it comes to PFAS but cam still be affected by widespread groundwater pollution.

An additional $12 billion from the same funding is available for general drinking water improvements, including addressing PFAS and other emerging contaminants. Money will be distributed through the state revolving fund.

ADEQ so far has about $47 million in funding to address PFAS testing, treatment, infrastructure improvement and education: $5 million from state funding and $42 from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The agency said it expects to receive additional federal funding.

To date, some of that money has been invested in public water systems in Globe, Star Valley and Payson. Twin Lakes Mobile Home Park and the Town of Chino Valley are also in ADEQ’s pipeline for federal funds, the agency said.

ADEQ officials said it was not yet clear who would oversee funding for private well owners. The state agency's jurisdiction only extends to public water systems.

The agency will "identify and prioritize small water systems and disadvantaged communities with higher PFAS levels and the greatest need for assistance to provide them with technical and financial support," said communications director Caroline Oppleman.

Clara Migoya covers agriculture and water issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to clara.migoya@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: EPA sets official limit for six 'forever chemicals' in drinking water