[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: "EPA and State Action to Regulate PFAS in Drinking Water Imposes Potentially Significant Costs on Water Systems"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

EPA and State Action to Regulate PFAS in Drinking Water Imposes Potentially Significant Costs on Water Systems

By Sarah Wightman and Jeff Kray
Marten Law News
June 12, 2018

Momentum to regulate to minute levels a common contaminant found in water systems throughout the United States is growing quickly at the federal, state, and local levels. Perfluorinated compounds (PFAS) are a generic term for a family of perfluoroalkyl acids, synthetic chemicals that have many useful properties, including fire resistance and oil, stain, grease, and water repellency. The two most widely known PFASs are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfate (PFOS). PFASs are, or have been, found in firefighting foams, wire insulation, cleaners, textiles, apparel, carpet, leather, paper, and paints. While many of these chemicals have been in use since the mid-20th century, recent awareness of their potentially adverse health effects has brought them to the attention of environmental and health regulators. The costs of treating PFAS at the wellhead, or of obtaining alternate sources of clean drinking water are significant, especially to the often-small water systems that supply residents of communities near source areas. Communities near existing or shuttered military bases, airports, and firefighting training facilities have been the hardest hit. The public health impacts of PFAS are only beginning to be understood, but the risks are high enough that the U.S. Air Force projects it will cost them $2 billion to clean up PFAS-contaminated water.

Under public pressure to act, EPA has agreed to publish binding regulatory limits for PFAS in drinking and ground water this year. Numerous states are also developing binding regulations for PFAS chemicals. Some states have already begun statewide testing for PFASs, including several hundred water systems in Washington state. If found at levels exceeding future federal and state standards, water supply systems may be forced to treat or, in some cases, replace their water supplies. Litigation has already been brought by water systems to recover their costs from the manufacturers and users of PFAS compounds, and PFAS litigation can be expected to increase exponentially in the next few years.

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.martenlaw.com/newsletter/20180612-drinking-water-pfas-regulations

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650/961-8918 
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

_______________________________________________
Military mailing list
Military@lists.cpeo.org
http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/military-cpeo.org