Many cities are struggling to remove toxic chemicals known as “forever chemicals” from public water systems by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s upcoming regulatory deadlines because of the high cost of completing the work, experts said during a National League of Cities Congressional City Conference panel last week.
In 2024, the EPA finalized new Clean Water Act standards that set maximum caps on contaminant levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, allowed in drinking water.
The Biden administration created the rule to help reduce exposure to chemicals linked to health risks, including cancer, liver and heart impacts, and developmental damage to infants and children, the EPA stated at the time. The rule required public water systems to start monitoring PFAS levels by 2027 and implement solutions to meet those standards, if in violation, by 2029…