NJ American Water Prepared to Meet Final US EPA PFAS Rule

On Apr 10, 2024

New Jersey American Water announced that it is prepared to meet the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) final national drinking water standards for PFAS, released this morning. PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, also referred to as “forever chemicals”) are manufactured chemicals historically used in many household products including nonstick cookware, stain repellants, and waterproofing.

In March 2023, the U.S. EPA announced a proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) to set historic Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for six PFAS found in drinking water. The U.S. EPA’s final PFAS rule remains substantially unchanged from the proposed rule.

“As a company whose mission is rooted in safeguarding clean, reliable drinking water, we support the EPA’s efforts to protect public health,” said Mark McDonough, President, New Jersey American Water. “New Jersey American Water is well positioned to stay at the forefront of regulatory and monitoring PFAS strategies, building on our proactive capital planning, engineering upgrades and advanced water quality treatment capabilities throughout New Jersey since 2012.

“New Jersey American Water strongly supports sound governmental policies that ensure compliance by all water utilities while also protecting customers and communities from these costs. For this reason, we, along with American Water, are advocating for funds to help mitigate compliance costs from both those who created the problem through participation in multi-district litigation and government funding. We also believe that all water and wastewater utility providers, whether privately or municipally owned, should have equal access to any federal and/or state funding related to treating PFAS,” added McDonough.

According to Richard Henning, president and CEO of the New Jersey Utilities Association, “New Jersey’s investor-owned water companies are committed to providing safe drinking water to their residential and business customers on a 24/7 basis. There is nothing more important than our customers trust when they grab a glass of water at their tap, or use water for cooking or cleaning. We fully support today’s announcement by the Biden Administration reducing the federal standard for PFAS chemicals in our water. We also know that it is our job to ensure the new standard is met through smart investments in water treatment technology so that our customers can trust the water from their tap.”

To learn more about what New Jersey American Water is doing to address PFAS, visit www.newjerseyamwater.com and select Water Quality, PFAS.

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