Oregon Water Providers Get More Time to Remove Forever Chemicals From Drinking Water

Oregon water utilities will be given two additional years, until 2031, to meet Biden-era limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water.

The additional breathing space has been announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is relaxing some of the standards imposed on the presence of *PFAS (forever chemicals) in drinking water.

Adverse Health Impacts Are Associated With PFAS

PFAS is associated with adverse health impacts such as certain cancers (kidney and testicular), reduced immune response, reproductive problems, and increased cholesterol.

Oregon, like water utilities elsewhere in the U.S., has faced massive costs to install advanced filtration systems to reduce PFAS to acceptable levels. The financial strain has forced many public water systems to pass operational and capital upgrade costs onto consumers.

Relaxed Restrictions Will Help Smaller Water Systems in Rural Communities

The EPA’s decision to relax some of the Biden-era restrictions will support water systems across the country, including smaller operations in rural communities.

Is the EPA Decision Legal?

However, the EPA’s move is likely illegal, according to Melanie Benesh, the vice president of government affairs with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

She points out that the Safe Drinking Water Act, which allows the EPA to regulate contaminants in drinking water, prevents officials from framing regulations weaker than those previously in place.

In Oregon, health officials continue to test public water systems for PFAS. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), systems that exceed federal PFAS standards will have to notify customers and reduce contamination.

The OHA states that 195 samples from 143 public water systems have been identified as susceptible to contamination because of their proximity to known or suspected PFAS contamination sites.

Public commentary will be invited before any changes can be finalized.

*PFAS is a large group of synthetic chemicals used in everyday products since the 1940s to resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.

They are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because their strong carbon-fluorine bonds prevent them from easily breaking down in human bodies or the environment.

PFAS oversight extends beyond drinking water taps.