Proactive Approach to Treating for PFOS and PFOA has Favorably Positioned District and the Community
On April 10, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a series of new regulations setting national maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for several perfluorinated compounds. While water providers throughout the country have up to five years to comply with the new standards, the Plainview Water District (PWD) is proud to announce that it is currently in compliance with the regulations.
“Our residents can rest assured that the water they use each and every day is currently compliant with these standards, which are stricter than the ones New York State imposed in 2020,” said PWD Chairman Marc Laykind. “Our proactive and aggressive response to construct Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment at impacted well sites for the purpose of removing perfluorinated compounds has ensured the water delivered to our customers is of the highest quality.”
The EPA’s new water quality standards established a nation-wide MCL for PFOA and PFOS at four parts per trillion (PPT)—the state’s current MCL for these contaminants is 10 PPT. The new regulation also establishes MCLs for other perfluorinated compounds that include PFHxS (Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid), PFNA (Perfluorononanoic acid) and HFPO-DA (Hexafluoropropylene dimer acid) at 10 PPT. Water suppliers throughout the country have three years to sample for these contaminants and an additional two years after that to implement treatment. Full compliance with the regulation is required by 2029.
“Not only have we been testing for these specific and other currently unregulated perfluorinated contaminants since 2018, we have had effective treatment for them in place before the summer of 2020,” said PWD Commissioner Andrew Bader. “The treatment systems that were built in response to the 2020 regulations by New York State are effective at removing these compounds down to levels of non-detect.”
“The level of investment made by this District and the speed in which the investment was made speaks volumes to the ability and expertise of the impressive team that has been assembled,” said PWD Commission Michael Chad. “Luck was never a part of the equation here. We are only in this positive position because of the hard work and dedication of this board, our staff and engineers.”
To learn more about the projects the PWD has completed and is currently embarking on to provide residents in the POB community with high-quality water, please visit https://plainviewwater.org/about/plainview-water-district-projects/. If residents have questions about these projects or the quality of their water, they are encouraged to visit the District’s website, www.plainviewwater.org, email info@plainviewwater.org or call 516-931-6469.
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