FEBRUARY ROUNDUP
Mayors around the country are increasingly concerned as the EPA finalizes their rules to address PFAS in drinking water. Federal funding to local municipalities is not enough, and residents will be left footing the bill. Read more about the challenges cities are facing as they grapple with expensive, unfunded mandates.
Water Advisory Insights

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is racing to place new limits on certain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in water systems. However, in their unwavering haste, they ignore the science, the available data, and the Americans in our communities who will shoulder the massive costs. The EPA must hit the brakes on these regulations and fast.

In his piece for Water and Finance Management, Council Member Chad Seidel discusses the recently released drinking water quality testing data and calls into question the major assumptions underpinning the EPA’s proposed National Drinking Water Standards for PFOA and PFOS.
Council Member Chad Seidel provided his analysis of the EPA's UCMR5 data on his LinkedIn profile.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of thousands of chemicals, two of which are known to be toxic to humans. These two chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are no longer produced in the United States.

However, they have recently been a topic of public concern, especially in regard to drinking water contamination. Other PFAS chemicals are used in consumer products including semiconductors, cellphones, textiles, renewable energy, and medical devices. Visit our website to discover science-based answers to some of the most pressing PFAS questions.
Water News
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin offer lessons for how states can remove lead service lines and protect community health by maximizing the unprecedented opportunity provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced $5.8 billion in funding that will go out to every state and territory to help fix an ailing water infrastructure that continues to put millions of Americans’ health at risk.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signaled Wednesday that he has no intention of signing a Republican bill that would spend tens of millions of dollars to address pollution from the so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS because it dramatically scales back regulators’ enforcement authority.
As states prepare to spend billions in federal funds on water infrastructure, some are having a hard time finding staff and securing matching dollars, EPA’s internal watchdog said Tuesday. The 2021 infrastructure law allocated an unprecedented $30 billion to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to help states address water challenges, including contamination from lead and chemicals. But some states are facing obstacles now as they look to spend the money, according to a report from EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
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