As PFAS Limits Loom, Financial Questions Remain Over How Water Utilities Will Comply
Despite an influx in attention and financial support, national utilities have a long road ahead in combating a preeminent drinking water contaminant.
“Utilities facing financial hurdles from coming federal water limits for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) stand to receive a boost from an historic $11 billion in potential legal settlements, but that money isn’t likely to fully meet utilities’ needs, according to attorneys,” Bloomberg Law reported. “Annual treatment costs to remove the chemicals would range from more than $2.5 billion to $3.2 billion annually, (the American Water Works Association) said.”
As regulators seek to hold the manufacturers of PFAS financially responsible for the health and environmental impacts of their contamination, the U.S. EPA is actively determining how forthcoming limits on the chemicals will impact utilities and treatment costs. In a sign of just how many obstacles remain in protecting consumers from PFAS, even the potential of a forthcoming $11 billion settlement from manufacturer 3M is unlikely to have a major impact on the national problem.
“$10 billion is a drop in the bucket … in terms of nationwide costs to meet the EPA’s proposed 4 parts per trillion limit,” Emily M. Lamond, an environmental lawyer, told Bloomberg Law.
As regulators and utilities grapple with the costs of stepping up PFAS removal, even as some manufacturers are being successfully held accountable, it’s almost certain that a portion of those costs will reach ratepayers sooner or later.
“A new Environmental Protection Agency proposal aimed at eliminating ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water could cost local water utilities millions of dollars each, and some of that price tag is already being passed on to consumers,” per NBC News. “Should the proposal pass, one study estimated annual costs to water utilities could exceed $3.8 billion, expenses that could trickle down to ratepayers.”
While it’s clear that calls to regulate PFAS contamination in drinking water have been heard, it’s becoming equally clear that executing that regulation won’t be easy, or cheap.
To read more about how drinking water utilities comply with federal contamination limits, visit Water Online’s Regulations And Legislation Solutions Center.