EPA adjusts PFAS water standards, pledges to hold polluters accountable

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday that it intends to ease restrictions on certain “forever chemicals” in drinking water that were finalized last year, while keeping existing limits for two of the most common ones. 

In April 2024, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who previously served as head of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality announced the first federal drinking water limits for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). 

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reported the change as an opportunity to allow additional time for water systems to meet the standards. 

“We will work to provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin. “This will support water systems across the country, including small systems in rural communities, as they work to address these contaminants. EPA will also continue to use its regulatory and enforcement tools to hold polluters accountable.” 

Under the previous rule, water systems were required to test for PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA within three years and notify the public of PFAS levels. If levels were higher than the standard, they were required to install PFAS treatment systems by 2029. 

The new proposal allows public drinking water systems more time to come up with plans to address PFOA and PFOS, extending the date to comply with those rules to 2031. It would also rescind the regulations and reconsider the standards for PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA. EPA is planning to issue a proposed rule on these chemicals in the fall of 2025 and finalize it by the spring of 2026. 

“We are on a path to uphold the agency’s nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water,” said Administrator Zeldin. 

PFAS has been linked to serious health risks including cancer, liver damage, immune system dysfunction, and developmental issues in children. In response to growing concerns about contamination in the state’s rivers, lawmakers in both chambers of North Carolina’s General Assembly have been grappling with how best to address the issue. 

The EPA also said it will launch a campaign called PFAS OUT to connect with public water utilities to address the chemicals in drinking water systems.

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