The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was added as an amendment to the Clean Water Act in 1972. Although PFAS testing is not yet mandated nationwide through the NPDES program, the U.S. EPA released guidance to the states in late 2022, recommending that state administrators consider adding PFAS in wastewater (and later stormwater and biosolids) to their NPDES permits.  

The start of any new EPA administration brings a period of uncertainty as we all watch to see how the agency will carry out the mandate given to it by Congress. With the regulatory freeze officially over, things are starting to move forward. However, this month’s PFAS News and Views focuses on developing stories that could impact many of our industrial and commercial clients in the years ahead.

There’s been a lot of media coverage related to the recently issued “regulatory freeze.” Unfortunately, many articles lack specifics, leading to confusion regarding what the freeze means for existing and future PFAS regulatory actions. In this month’s News and Views, we share a few articles and insights to help clear up the confusion.

To better understand how PFAS passes from industry through Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs), the EPA recently proposed an Information Collection Rule (ICR) focused on PFAS in wastewater influent, effluent, and biosolids. Paul Jackson, Pace® Analytical Program Manager for Environmental Compliance and Emerging Contaminants, delivered a webinar covering the basics of the proposal and its impact on our customers. In this post, I will cover some of the critical highlights. I also invite you to watch the webinar on-demand for a deeper dive.