Maine DWP Update: Required Testing for PFAS in Drinking Water

This update is coming to you from the Maine CDC Drinking Water Program.

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Required Testing for PFAS in Drinking Water

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals that have been widely used since the 1940s in consumer products and industrial applications. Due to their widespread use and persistence in the environment, most people in the United States have been exposed to some level of PFAS. There is evidence to suggest that continued exposure above specific levels to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects.

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With the passage of LD 129 (Resolve, To Protect Consumers of Public Drinking Water by Establishing Maximum Contaminant Levels for Certain Substances and Contaminants), the Maine Legislature has mandated that all community public water systems, and non-transient, non-community schools and childcare facilities sample their finished drinking water for PFAS. The Maine CDC Drinking Water Program (DWP) has highlighted key points from the legislation below: 

  • All community public water systems, and non-transient, non-community (NTNC) schools and childcare facilities must sample finished drinking water for PFAS by December 31, 2022. Systems who have previously tested for PFAS are still required to re-test their water under this new legislation.

  • Any PFAS detections are to be reported to the DWP as well as to the water system’s customers.

  • Ongoing PFAS sampling will occur for systems with detections.

  • An interim standard of 20 parts per trillion (PPT) for six PFAS (alone or in combination) is immediately in effect.

  • Treatment or other remedies must be put in place if the interim standard is exceeded.

  • A rulemaking process will take place to establish PFAS MCLs.

  • A report will be sent to the Legislature each January 1 detailing the DWP’s progress in implementing these regulations.

 The DWP is currently working on developing guidance documents, as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions, to better help public water systems understand this new legislation. This information will be posted to the DWP’s new “Testing for PFAS in Drinking Water” webpage and updated as more information becomes available.

For general questions regarding this new bill, please email Ashley Hodge at Ashley.Hodge@maine.gov or call (207) 822-2341. If you have system-specific inquiries, please contact your Public Water System Inspector.

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