DEQ presents PFAS sampling, EPA rule and timelines as state prepares to adopt drinking-water limits

Tyler Fortuneotti, chief of the Drinking Water Bureau at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee that nationwide action and new federal limits are reshaping how Idaho tests and prepares for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in public drinking water.

Fortuneotti described the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyrule finalized in April 2024 that sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for six PFAS chemicals and requires initial monitoring by April 2027, reporting in consumer confidence reports beginning in April 2027, public notification beginning in 2029, and compliance with the MCLs by April 2029. "Water systems are required to complete initial monitoring ... and that initial monitoring will then dictate the frequency of their routine monitoring going forward," Fortuneotti said.

Why it matters: the MCLs are set at parts-per-trillion concentrations, which can trigger costly treatment, source changes or system interconnections for public water systems. Fortuneotti said Idaho has detected PFAS at both the source and system level during several sampling efforts and is seeking the committee's support to incorporate the EPA drinking-water rule by…