How to weigh in on Michigan’s proposed limits on PFAS in drinking water

By Alexandra Schmidt | Bridge Magazine | January 8, 2020

Read the full article by Alexandra Schmidt (Bridge Magazine)

“The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy this week is beginning to accept public comment on proposed new limits for PFAS in drinking water…

Michigan’s rules would set maximum contaminant levels for seven poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water, all lower than the federal advisory of 70 parts per million, at the recommendation of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team’s (MPART) Science Advisory Workgroup.

Instead, Dean said the work group focused on seven commonly found, widely studied compounds of the thousands of PFAS chemicals to create “defensible” limits for the seven compounds based on their known health effects such as cancer, kidney and liver damage and developmental delays and low birth weights.

How the rules work

The rules would require municipalities to test for the seven PFAS compounds at least once a year. Higher-than-permissible test results can trigger mandatory quarterly testing. If the average of four tests is higher than EGLE’s limit, the water supplier must notify the public within 30 days and note the high PFAS levels in its annual consumer report…

State officials previously noted high PFAS levels in drinking water in Ann Arbor, Grayling, Plainfield, Oscoda, Parchment, and at an elementary school in Grand Haven. Dean said none of these systems is expected to be impacted by these new rules.

The state did not indicate which suppliers they believe will test above the proposed limits, but state officials previously noted high PFAS levels in drinking water in Ann Arbor, Grayling, Plainfield, Oscoda, Parchment, and at an elementary school in Grand Haven…

Water suppliers back the rules, but worry about paying for increased costs of testing and remediating water, said Bonnifer Ballard, executive director of the Michigan section of the American Water Works Association, which represents 4,300 utilities, including about 1,700 in the state….

Town halls are planned in three cities this week and next:

Grand Rapids: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, in Room EC 215 of the L.V. Eberhard Center at Grand Valley State University, 301 W. Fulton.
Ann Arbor: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 14 at in the Morris Lawrence Building of Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive.
Roscommon: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 16 in the Au Sable Room of the Ralph A. Macmullan Conference Center, 104 Conservation Drive…”

This content provided by the PFAS Project.