The EPA expects the new regulation will prevent PFAS exposure for millions of people.
(JonasKIM)
The City of Bloomington Utilities will continue to test for PFAS in the drinking water supply in wake of a new EPA regulation.
The EPA announced the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six kinds of PFAS last week. PFAS are man-made chemical compounds that are often called “forever chemicals” because they are very difficult to get rid of.
This chart shows the enforceable levels (MCL) and goal levels (MCLG) the EPA has set for PFAS contaminants. (Source: The Environmental Protection Agency)
The City of Bloomington Utilities voluntarily participated in the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5) testing in 2023 and 2024. The Safe Water Drinking Act requires the EPA to issue a list of unregulated contaminants every five years for public water systems to monitor for these substances. The data allows the EPA to help decide future regulations on contaminants.
“What they do is they kind of look ahead to see what kind of emerging contaminants may be an issue down the road,” said Justin Meschter, water quality coordinator for the City of Bloomington Utilities. “We had no measurable results for any PFAS currently in our drinking water.”
The results so far show that of the six PFAS included in the new regulation, none tested higher than the minimum reporting level.
“To have our drinking water source not have any contamination currently is very positive for our drinking water utility moving forward,” Meschter said.
The regulation requires public water systems to monitor for these PFAS. Initial monitoring needs to be completed by 2027, followed by ongoing compliance monitoring. System operators must provide public information on the levels of these PFAS in their drinking water beginning in 2027.
“We plan on meeting EPA standards and probably going a little bit further just … out of precaution,” Meschter said. “We still plan to test twice a year moving forward for PFAS.”
If PFAS is found, public water systems have until 2029 to reduce PFAS if those levels exceed the enforceable level. Beginning in 2029, if a public water system has detected PFAS above the enforceable level, it must take action to reduce those chemicals and notify the public.
The City of Bloomington Utilities currently uses one of the EPA’s recommended PFAS water treatment options: powder activated carbon.
“Even if we got to the point where we saw elevated levels…as of right now, we have faith that our treatment process would be able to treat those down to where our current levels are under the EPA regulated limits,” Meschter said. “Should we move forward and get to the point where our current system can't handle those, then, as part of U.S. EPA regulations by 2029 we would have to implement probably a more intensive carbon filtration system to remove the PFAS to a regulated limit.”
It is too soon to tell if the new regulation will affect costs for the utility. But the EPA is investing a total of $21 billion to help communities affected by PFAS and other contaminants in the drinking water supply – the largest investment ever made to tackle PFAS.
Contaminants in drinking water are always changing, as new pollutants and water sources are introduced. It’s important to continue vigilant testing to know what treatment options are available, or if new ones need to be introduced.
“As stuff starts to gain momentum for emerging contaminants, we always try to test early,” Meschter said. “Just so we know moving forward, what treatment options may be, what mitigation options may be….obviously in this position, I kind of pride our utility on providing clean, safe drinking water year round, regardless of what different contaminants there may be out there.”
The EPA says it expects the rule will prevent PFAS exposure for around 100 million people over many years, preventing thousands of deaths and reducing illnesses attributed to PFAS.
