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DEQ presentation on PFAS drinking‑water rules held for further discussion; committee delays vote
Summary
DEQ staff summarized docket 58‑01082401 to incorporate federal PFAS drinking‑water requirements into Idaho rules; the committee held the docket until a follow‑up presentation the next day.
Jeri Henry, Division Administrator for Drinking Water Protection and Finance at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, and Tyler Fortunati, Drinking Water Bureau Chief, presented rule docket 58‑01082401, which incorporates federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements for per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into Idaho’s public drinking water rules.
DEQ told the committee the incorporation references 40 CFR Part 141 as of July 1, 2024, adds Subpart Z related to PFAS (including enforceable maximum contaminant levels for PFOS), and establishes federal monitoring, reporting and analytical requirements for public water systems. Fortunati said the change would require new regulatory testing for a majority of Idaho’s public water systems; he estimated an average sample cost of about $325 per analytical sample, depending on the approved method. DEQ said the rule protects roughly 1.5 million Idahoans served by about 1,000 public water systems; DEQ described PFAS as persistent chemicals with health effects including reproductive, developmental and immune impacts.
After discussion, and with committee members seeking additional detail, Sen. Van Orden proposed holding the docket until a subsequent DEQ presentation the following day. Sen. Harris moved, and Sen. Wintrow seconded, a motion to hold the docket until the call of the chair; the committee approved the motion by voice vote. The presentation will continue the following day with more detailed discussion of costs, sampling requirements and implementation.
