OCWD PFAS Regulatory, Legislative and Outreach News

OCWD PFAS Update

January 9, 2020

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are chemicals that are prevalent in the environment and were once commonly used in many consumer products. They are part of a larger group referred to as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Due to the prolonged use of PFOA and PFOS, the chemicals are now being detected in water sources throughout the United States.

Overview

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) strives to deliver high-quality, reliable drinking water to 2.5 million customers every day. OCWD and the water agencies in its service area are committed to operating in compliance with all state and federal guidelines and regulatory requirements.

PFOA and PFOS are chemicals that are prevalent in the environment and were once commonly used in many consumer products. Through an ongoing investigation, California and many other states have found that PFAS have made their way into our groundwater, particularly near airports and military bases where these chemicals are commonly used.

OCWD and local water retailers are actively engaged with federal and state regulators and elected and appointed officials on this issue. As part of its commitment to transparency, OCWD provides regular PFAS updates to community stakeholders.

For more background information, please see the materials below:

OCWD PFAS Video

Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

Regulatory Happenings

At the state level, California is preparing to issue revised Response Levels for PFOA and PFOS in early 2020. OCWD and its retail agencies are continuing to analyze alternatives to water supplies that may exceed these new Response Levels. OCWD continues to engage with state officials in preparation for the new guidelines and on December 19 met with leadership from the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and California Environmental Protection Agency.

Federally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released Interim Recommendations for Addressing Groundwater Contaminated with PFOA and PFOS under federal cleanup programs, a priority action under EPA’s PFAS Action Plan. As part of the new guidelines, the EPA recommends a screening level of 40 parts per trillion (ppt) to determine if PFOA and/or PFOS is present at a site and may warrant further attention. The guidelines also recommend using EPA’s PFOA and PFOS Lifetime Drinking Water Health Advisory level of 70 ppt as the preliminary remediation goal (PRG) for contaminated groundwater that is a current or potential source of drinking water. For more information, see the EPA’s press release.

Available Now! State Water Resources Control Board PFAS Technical Seminar Recordings

Local Activities

On December 17, OCWD’s pilot test began running. The pilot program – the nation’s largest – is designed to help retail water agencies in Orange County determine the best treatment methods available to them. Through the program, OCWD will be testing different types of granular activated carbon (GAC) and ion exchange (IX) products, as well as novel adsorbents just emerging in the market, to determine which applications are best suited for Orange County’s diverse aquifer water quality and geochemistry. All of the treatment methods are expected to remove PFAS from groundwater to below detectable levels. Concurrently, lab-scale testing is underway. To learn more, please see the press release issued announcing the pilot .

In addition, Carollo and OCWD have completed all of the site visits to retailers as part of the PFAS Treatment Planning Study. It's anticipated that the complete report will be final in the beginning of May. In the next month, OCWD and retailers will receive an update from Carollo on the progress of the study.

And, fourth quarter testing of wells for PFOA and PFOS in Orange County will begin in January.

OCWD Executive Director of Water Quality and Technical Resources Jason Dadakis was recently named one of Orange County’s Top 100 Most Influential People for 2019 by The Orange County Register for his work on PFAS. Congratulations and thank you to Jason for his work on this challenging issue.

Media

PFOA and PFOS are not exclusive to Orange County or even California. States across the country are in the midst of tackling PFAS in consumer products, groundwater supplies and other forms of contact. OCWD continues to monitor what is happening around the country on this issue.

Bloomberg Environment: Multiheaded hydra of PFAS products under California scrutiny

Arizona Daily Star: Cost to build water treatment plants to protect against PFAS hazards will be 'substantial'

NBC News: A ‘forever chemical’ contaminates water near military bases

EPA: EPA announces new method to test for additional PFAS in drinking water

The Guardian: Rainwater in parts of US contains high levels of PFAS chemical, study says

MLive: 1.9 million Michigan residents drink some PFAS as evidence mounts about its dangers

KHTS: Additional SCV water well found in excess of state PFAS notification level

WAMC: Several U.S. reps urge passage of PFAS Action Act

MLive: 'This is a time for Michigan to be courageous' state told as it considers PFAS limits for drinking water

National Law Review: California holds technical PFAS seminar to inform public of state of science and possible future drinking water regulations

Click here for more info on PFOA / PFOS