The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its plan to study and develop technology-based limits on PFAS discharges from industrial wastewater, as part of its PFAS Strategic Roadmap. This initiative aims to protect communities from these persistent chemicals in local waterways and aligns with the Biden Cancer Moonshot's efforts to minimize exposure to cancer-causing substances.
"EPA is committed to working with state partners to develop strong national rules to reduce the presence of forever chemicals in our waterways," stated Bruno Pigott, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water. "That means we must work to develop our collective understanding about PFAS discharges from industry. From there, we can better innovate and implement durable treatment solutions that protect our communities over the long run."
The Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 16 (Preliminary Plan 16) outlines EPA's intent to conduct detailed studies on wastewater pollution discharges and their treatment potential across various industrial categories.
To facilitate this effort, EPA has identified the need for additional data collection from facilities in sectors such as Battery Manufacturing, Centralized Waste Treatment, Oil and Gas Extraction, along with PFAS processors involved in converting PFAS into commercial products. These studies aim to inform data-driven decisions regarding new rulemakings for revised effluent limitations guidelines. Any resulting regulations would be based on scientific evidence and designed to prevent PFAS contamination at its source, thereby protecting both community and environmental health.
A 30-day public comment period will follow the announcement of this preliminary plan in the Federal Register. Interested parties can submit written comments by visiting EPA’s Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan webpage.
Effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) are national regulations intended to control industrial wastewater discharges into surface waters and publicly owned treatment works using economically achievable technology for pollutant reduction. The Clean Water Act Section 304(m) mandates public review and comment before EPA prepares ELG Program Plans.
These plans outline EPA’s annual review of ELGs and pretreatment standards, identifying any new or existing industrial categories selected for rulemaking schedules. They also highlight any categories chosen for further analysis.
