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Water Quality News

EPA Announces Proposed PFAS Regulations

March 16, 2023
Fairfax Water

Fairfax Water remains focused on our mission of providing our customers with water of exceptional quality.

On March 14, 2023, the EPA announced its proposed national drinking water standards for six types of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) including proposed Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).  The proposed standard also includes establishing a hazard index for a combination of four other PFAS compounds.

Fairfax Water will evaluate the ability of our existing treatment processes to meet EPA’s proposed regulations and remains committed to providing our customers with water of exceptional quality.  We will also continue to champion source water protection and support local, state, and national efforts to prevent these compounds from entering waterways. 

“At Fairfax Water, we know that drinking water is vital to public health,” stated Fairfax Water General Manager Jamie Hedges.  “We’ve taken a proactive approach to address PFAS through voluntary PFAS monitoring and educating the community on the importance of protecting the region’s source water from these compounds.  Stopping PFAS at the source, before it reaches drinking water sources, is key to ensuring our customers have high-quality water at affordable rates.”

The EPA will now take the next steps in the regulatory development process before the proposed standards are finalized. It is important to note that the proposed PFAS MCLs are not enforceable drinking water standards at this time. 

Fairfax Water has information on PFAS and PFAS sampling results on our website:  https://www.fairfaxwater.org/water-quality/facts-about-pfas.  Our data shows that the levels of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX Chemicals), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) are all below the proposed MCLs.  PFOA and PFOS results for Potomac treated water are less than the proposed MCL of 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt).  PFOA and PFOS results for Occoquan treated water are slightly above the proposed MCL of 4.0 ppt. 

Fairfax Water is in the process of evaluating treatment processes that will ensure that our water will meet the proposed standards if they are approved.  We are also working with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and other agencies to identify possible sources of PFAS in the watershed. 

Additional Information:

  • For more information about EPA’s proposed standards, please visit https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas. 
  • To learn more about Fairfax Water’s PFAS monitoring, please visit https://www.fairfaxwater.org/water-quality/facts-about-pfas

Click here to view a pdf of our March 16, 2023 statement.

Click here to view a pdf of our March 14, 2023 statement.

 

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