Virginia DEQ Begins Identifying Potential Sources of PFAS in Public Drinking Water

By Gregory R. Wall, and Paul T. Nyffeler | The National Law Review | December 19, 2024

Read the full article by Gregory R. Wall, and Paul T. Nyffeler (The National Law Review)

"The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has begun issuing notifications to facilities in the Commonwealth that it has identified as potential sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected in public drinking water systems. DEQ’s notifications were issued pursuant to a recently enacted Virginia law intended to protect public health by reducing significant sources of certain PFAS in raw water sources of public water systems and to minimize the costs of public water systems to comply with federally-mandated limits of these so-called “forever chemicals” from Virginia drinking water. On or before January 1, 2025, DEQ will release its Prioritization Plan, which is expected to identify approximately 10-12 public water systems that will be the focus of DEQ’s efforts to identify sources of PFAS and recommend regulatory and non-regulatory options for reducing PFAS levels in source waters in 2025.

As of September 1, 2024, 28 drinking water systems were identified as providing drinking water with excessive levels of PFAS, and on November 25th and 26th, DEQ sent notifications to facilities it deemed to be potential sources of PFAS for those drinking water systems. DEQ is expected to send additional notifications to potential PFAS sources in at least six more drinking water systems in February 2025. Recipients of DEQ’s notifications will be required to self-report information about their PFAS manufacturing and usage, as well as begin monitoring their wastewater discharges for PFAS, for use by DEQ to develop potential regulatory and nonregulatory options for addressing each significant source of PFAS."