PFAS in Focus: Show-Me Insights From Chris Wieberg, Missouri Department of Natural Resources - Reflections on Water Podcast
[Podcast] Catching Up on Canadian Environmental Regulation
PFAS: Increasing Regulations and Managing Legal Liability
EPA Plan Changes PFAS Outlook For Companies, Regulators
2BInformed: The Future of Fluoride in Drinking Water, the New TSCA Fees Rule, and the Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List 5
The Great Green North: A Discussion on Canada’s Environmental Regulations
Forever Chemicals: What They are and What is being Done to Minimize Their Impact
What are PFAS and Why Should We Care?
Addressing PFAS continues to challenge local government, water providers, and wastewater providers, particularly in a rapidly changing regulatory environment. Regulatory initiatives will have costly and widespread impacts on...more
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used in a wide range of consumer products since 1947, known for their strong carbon-fluorine bonds. These bonds make PFAS resistant to breakdown, earning them...more
Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) announced on Oct. 8, 2024, EPA has shifted its focus from addressing lead exceedances in drinking water to preventing lead in...more
On April 19, 2024, EPA issued its long-awaited Final Rule officially listing two key per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or so-called “forever chemicals,” as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive...more
On April 10, in a move that is almost certain to result in legal challenges from states, utilities, and other entities charged with its implementation, EPA released its much-anticipated Final Rule limiting concentrations of...more
As expected, 2023 was an expansive year for the regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) at the federal level. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) took (or at least proposed)...more
Public water utilities and 3M have until August 28 to respond to the bipartisan coalition of 22 state attorneys general (AGs) that opposes their proposed $12.5 billion class action settlement over alleged per- and...more
Water systems should begin preparing now for the October 16, 2024 deadline to submit a lead service line inventory. The new requirement was established in recent updates to the federal Lead & Copper Rule as part of the...more
Earlier this week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled, PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Rulemaking. ...more
Aqueous film-forming foam (“AFFF”) is a hot topic in per- and polyfluorinated Substances (“PFAS”) litigation. AFFF is used to fight gasoline, oil, and jet fuel fires by producing an aqueous film that spreads across a fire’s...more
On September 7, 2022, California became the first government in the world to require microplastics testing for drinking water, an emerging contaminant that is found throughout the environment. The State Water Resources...more
On July 1, 2022 a panel of the Ninth Circuit issued a superseding opinion in California River Watch v. City of Vacaville, Appeal No. 20-16605, withdrawing its previous opinion in the same case and reaching the opposite...more
You may have read about the slew of lawsuits filed over the past few years by Long Island water districts seeking to recover damages arising from alleged contamination of drinking water supplies by 1,4-dioxane...more
State drinking water, surface water, and groundwater regulations are now all in one place—through an easy-to-use, interactive map. Regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) vary by state and continue to...more
In the absence of an enforceable federal drinking water standard for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), many states have started regulating PFAS compounds in drinking water. The result is a patchwork of regulations...more
In the March 3, 2021 Federal Register, EPA issued its final regulatory determinations for substances on the fourth Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List (“CCL 4”). Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA is...more
U.S. EPA recommends testing wastewater for PFAS - Bullet Chemical & Engineering News – December 1 - Certain facilities may have to test for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their...more
On November 30, 2020, State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) staff released a preliminary staff draft of the Statewide Construction Stormwater General Permit (Preliminary Draft General Permit). In...more
On July 27, the Michigan Legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) filed new administrative rules and rule amendments concerning Michigan’s drinking water standards with the Michigan Secretary of State’s...more
On July 28, 2020, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held an oversight hearing entitled “There's Something in the Water: Reforming Our Nation's Drinking Water Standards.” The hearing...more
Last week, on June 16, the California State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board”) unanimously adopted a definition for microplastics, making it the first state to adopt a definition specifically applied to...more
Recently, I participated in the Environmental Law Institute’s (ELI) Master Class, PFAS: From Common Use to Concern. My fellow panelists and I discussed “PFAS in Water,” which included a discussion of the environmental and...more
The California State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board”) recently issued a draft Definition of Microplastics in Drinking Water and an accompanying staff report....more
The Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Groundwaters posted several recent updates to its Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response, Questions, and Guidance website to inform that it is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Ohio...more
Regarding drinking water, EPA advised that the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water supplies and that Americans should continue to use tap water for drinking and handwashing as usual. Coronavirus...more