PFAS in Drinking Water: Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking & Request for Stakeholder Input
July 28, 2023
Statement from Maine CDC Drinking Water Program:
"The State of Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Drinking Water Program (Department) is planning on proposing rules regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water served to Maine residents and visitors by Community and Non-Transient Non-Community (NTNC) Public Water Systems (PWS), and drinking water provided by Maine-based bottled water producers.
On June 21, 2021, Governor Mills approved an emergency resolve entitled Resolve, To Protect Consumers of Public Drinking Water by Establishing Maximum Contaminant Levels for Certain Substances and Contaminants (Resolves 2021, ch. 82), which established an interim standard for six PFAS in drinking water, individually or combined, of 20 parts-per-trillion (ppt) for Community PWS (i.e., municipal water districts or other residential PWS) and NTNC PWS that are schools and child care facilities. This Maine Resolve also required these PWS to test for PFAS by December 31, 2022, and address PFAS levels exceeding the Maine interim standard. Additionally, this Resolve requires the Department to publish an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by August 1, 2023. This notice shall serve as the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking."