Sierra Club Robert Lunz Group

 

Focus on PFAS Part 3

Now we have some idea of PFAS exposure in our local water sources. And we’ve gathered a little information about filtration systems to help screen PFAS contamination until protective regulations are enacted.  So, let’s look into the EPA proposal for regulating PFAS.

Data Collection: 

Data collection by EPA is required under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5). All public water systems serving communities of 3,300 or more people must monitor for specific contaminants in their water. UCMR 5 listed the more than two dozen PFAS that these public water systems must monitor, including PFOA and PFOS.

Results of the monitoring data will be released over three years, with the first round of data issued in July 2023. Data is expected to show thousands of new locations across the U.S. confirmed to have PFAS in their water, affecting millions more Americans than previously known. This may support the estimate published by EWG scientists in 2020 that over 200 million Americans could have PFAS in their drinking water. 

 EWG’s PFAS map shows that there are more than 2,800 communities known to be plagued by these forever chemicals – but EPA’s upcoming data release is expected to indicate that the numbers are actually much higher.

Proposed EPA Regulations: The Biden EPA is taking the first concrete steps ever to tackle PFAS pollution. In March, it proposed bold new limits known as maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) that restrict the amount of six individual PFAS that can be in drinking water: PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFNA and PFHxS. If finalized, this would be the first new MCL for drinking water contaminants by EPA in more than two decades.  In addition to weighing health harms, these limits consider water treatment costs and feasibility. The proposed MCLs are 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and the same for PFOS. For the other four PFAS chemicals, the EPA is proposing a “hazard index” to address cumulative risks from mixtures of chemicals. While these are the first federal proposed drinking water limits for PFAS, 10 states already have final or interim enforceable drinking water limits for PFAS.

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Article from TheState Newspaper

https://www.thestate.com/news/local/environment/article279479369.html

 

Online Data by Sample site in South Carolina. The Black River is in the PeeDee  watershed

 

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fgis.dhec.sc.gov%2FWater_Web_Docs%2FPFAS%2FAmbient%2520Surface%2520Water%2520Project%2520-%2520Surface%2520Water%2520Data.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

 

Here's a map of the PFAS sample sites

 

https://gis.dhec.sc.gov/gisportal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=162b8d1e7fdf459db7ff6b251671651f