EPA Tweaks Water Testing Rules for Sneaky Pollutants Like PFAS
Published Date: 1/21/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The EPA is updating the Clean Water Act testing methods to better detect harmful pollutants like PFAS and PCBs in water. These changes affect industries and towns that report water pollution, making testing easier and more accurate. The updates include new methods, simpler sampling rules, and some cleanup of old rules, with no new monitoring deadlines or costs set yet.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
New PFAS and PCB congener methods
The EPA proposes to add new EPA test methods for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners. These methods would be added to the Clean Water Act approved-methods tables and would be used by industries and towns that report pollution under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The EPA says adding these methods increases the quality and consistency of data collected under the Clean Water Act.
Add consensus-body methods for reporting
The EPA proposes to add methods previously published by voluntary consensus bodies into the approved methods tables. Industries and municipalities would use these added methods for reporting under the NPDES permit program.
Withdraw seven Aroclor PCB parameters
The EPA proposes to withdraw the seven Aroclor (PCB mixtures) parameters from the approved-methods tables. This is a change to which PCB parameters are listed for Clean Water Act analysis and reporting.
Simpler sampling for two VOCs
The EPA proposes to simplify the sampling requirements for two volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The change would affect how industries and municipalities collect samples for those two VOCs when reporting under the Clean Water Act.
No new monitoring deadlines or limits
The proposed rule does not require when a parameter must be monitored and does not establish any discharge limits. The EPA notes it is updating methods but is not setting new monitoring deadlines or new regulatory discharge limits in this proposal.
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