Environmental Quality Board Accepting Comments On Proposed PFOA/PFOS Maximum Contaminant Level

The Environmental Quality Board published notice in the February 26 PA Bulletin inviting public comments on proposed regulation to establish maximum contaminant levels goals (MCLGs) and maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) for community, nontransient noncommunity, and bottled, vended, retail, and bulk water systems.

DEP is not recommending an MCL for other PFAS chemicals at this time due to lack of occurrence data, incomplete cost/benefit data, the lack of a reference dose and the lack of treatability data.

The proposed MCL for PFOA is proposed at 14 ppt and the MCLG (MCL Goal) at 8 ppt.

The proposed MCL for PFOS is proposed at 18 ppt and the MCLG (MCL Goal) at 14 ppt.

The current EPA recommended health protection level is 70 ppt, although EPA recently announced a new strategy for dealing with PFAS “forever” chemicals.  Read more here.

The proposed regulation also sets proposed monitoring and sampling requirements.

The regulation would affect about 2,898 water systems in Pennsylvania.

DEP is estimating the regulation will cost water systems an estimated $115.3 million in annual treatment capital and operation and maintenance costs per million gallons per day.

Annual performance monitoring costs would be an estimated $6.2 million.

DEP’s Public Water System Technical Assistance Center Board recommended moving forward with the proposed rulemaking for public comment last July.

Hearings

DEP is proposing a 60-day public comment period with five virtual public hearings scheduled for--

-- March 21 - 1:00 p.m.

-- March 22 - 6:00 p.m.

-- March 23 - 1:00 p.m.

-- March 24 - 9:00 a.m.

-- March 25 - 9:00 a.m.

Click Here for information on how to join the hearings remotely.

Persons wishing to present testimony at a hearing must contact Jennifer Swan for the Department and the Board, (717) 783-8727 or RA-EPEQB@pa.gov,  by 5 p.m. on March 18, 2022 to reserve a time to present testimony. 

Language interpretation services are available upon request. Persons in need of language interpretation services must contact Jennifer Swan at (717) 787-4526 by 5 p.m. on March 17, 2022.

The deadline for all public comments is April 27.

The proposed regulation is a result of a rulemaking petition submitted by the Delaware RiverKeeper and accepted by the Environmental Quality Board in August of 2017.  Read more here.

Read the entire PA Bulletin notice for more information.

Visit the EQB webpage for available background documents on the proposed regulation.

Visit DEP’s PFAS in Pennsylvania webpage for more information on this issue.

NewsClips:

-- DEP: Announces Public Comment Period On New PFOS/PFOA Drinking Water Regulation

-- The Guardian: PFAS Pollution Led To Contamination Of U.S. Drinking Water Wells In PA Other Eastern States, USGS Study Finds

[Posted: February 25, 2022]  PA Environment Digest