DEQ presents statewide PFAS sampling results, urges adoption of EPA drinking-water rule

Tyler Fortunati, chief of the Drinking Water Bureau at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are “ubiquitous” and transport readily through air, rain and groundwater.

Fortunati said the presentation — related to a pending docket to update Idaho’s public drinking water rules by incorporating U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements — summarized what DEQ and federal testing have found in Idaho, the federal compliance timetable and funding options for water systems that must respond.

The DEQ official said EPA finalized a national drinking-water rule in April 2024 that sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for six PFAS analytes and requires initial monitoring by April 2027, routine monitoring beginning in May 2027, public reporting in consumer confidence reports starting April 2027 and public notification if a system exceeds an MCL beginning in 2029. Fortunati asked the committee to support adoption of the EPA rule by reference into Idaho’s regulations; the committee deferred any vote and will consider the rule at a later meeting.

Why it matters: PFAS are persistent, slow to break down and associated in federal analyses with a range of human-health outcomes, including elevated cancer risk for some compounds. The EPA rule will require many public water systems to begin monitoring and potentially to install treatment, develop alternate sources, or interconnect with…