ADEQ outlines PFAS testing, mitigation grants and local projects; Prescott flagged as eligible for state funds

The subcommittee heard a detailed briefing from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) sampling, federal and state compliance timelines, and grant funding to help small and disadvantaged public water systems mitigate contamination.

Sarah Conrad, project manager in ADEQ's drinking water section, told the committee that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for several PFAS compounds, including PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion and PFNA at 10 parts per trillion. She described the federal compliance timeline tied to initial monitoring and future regular compliance monitoring and noted EPA had proposed further rulemaking on some PFAS and possible adjustments to compliance dates.

Conrad said ADEQ conducted sampling for public water systems that serve 3,300 people or fewer because those systems were not covered by EPA's UCMR 5 (unregulated contaminant monitoring rule round 5). ADEQ's small-system sampling showed that about 12 percent of sampled systems had at least one regulated PFAS compound above the MCL; she said the EPA data for…