The Water Center is pleased to announce the release of a new report, Beyond Drinking Water: Strategies for Communicating and Managing PFAS Contamination.
In April 2024, the EPA finalized a new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR), setting limits – well below existing state standards – on PFAS concentrations in drinking water. While research into PFAS health risks is ongoing, exposure to some PFAS has been linked to certain cancers and other negative health outcomes. Because of these potentially adverse effects on human health, and because certain PFAS are known to occur in drinking water, the EPA determined that it was obligated to regulate these PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This new rule will require many water systems to adopt new technologies into their existing treatment processes. When PFAS contamination is discovered in drinking water, water systems also become responsible for educating their communities about PFAS exposure risks, sources, and solutions.