Local water systems prepare to deal with stricter regulations for 'forever chemicals'
Jan. 28—New regulations that place stricter limits on the presence of "forever chemicals" in Pennsylvania's public drinking water are not expected to heavily impact the local water supply, officials said.
While the revised standards dramatically reduce the levels of two forms of the toxic chemicals that collectively are known as PFAS, local water companies said routine testing has found the amount of the substances in the water is below what the state will allow starting in 2024.
The new standards sets the limit for perflouroctanic acid at 14 parts per trillion and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid at 18 parts per trillion.
Both manmade chemicals are considered toxic at elevated levels. They're considered byproducts of commonly used in products such as nonstick cookware, carpets, firefighting foam and fast-food wrappers.
"Through testing we've done, we know we are well below these (new) levels," said Michael Kukura, manager of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The authority sells water to more than 122,000 customers in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Armstrong, Fayette and Indiana counties.
The authority last year had to flush a portion of its system that serves about 250 customers in McKeesport after foam used to extinguish a fire leached into the local waterlines and caused excess levels of PFAS in the local pipes. A year later, residents contend small traces of PFAS remain.
Systemwide, the authority has found no similar issues as it conducted regular testing at multiple locations throughout the service area.
"We've picked sites throughout the entire system, and we're taking samples," Kukura said.
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, which provides drinking water to more than 300,000 customers in the city and its surrounding area, found no quantifiable levels of PFAS, according to reports posted on the agency's website that detail findings through August 2021.
Authority representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
Carla Ng, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, said the state's revised standards will result in substantial reductions of the forever chemicals in local drinking water. She suggested ongoing studies have shown permitted levels have long been too high for PFAS, as well as other potentially dangerous chemicals.
The previous standards for PFAS, set by both the state and the federal Environmental Protection Agency, was 70 parts per trillion. The EPA last year suggested a rule that lets PFAS levels even further below the revised state standards, but a final decision on new federal levels has yet to be finalized.
Ng predicted the federal limits could be stricter than the new state guidelines.
"There will be utilities that have to treat their water and there are probably a few approaching that level. The big question is: what do we do about all the other compounds," Ng said. "The EPA acknowledged there is no safe level — and you can't get down to the level (they suggested)."
The state levels are more realistic and could require public water utilities that struggle to meet them to use carbon filtering, a solution homeowners can also use as protection against PFAS.
Kukura said the MAWC's water treatment plant at the Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell Township, which serves about half of the utility's customers, is outfitted with a granular activated-carbon filtration system that protects against the chemical.
The system's two other treatment plants, along the Youghiogheny River near Connellsville and in McKeesport, are similarly protected.
"It may come into play, and we'll try to get that done at all our plants," Kukura said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
