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“WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) to establish nationwide monitoring for 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lithium in drinking water. This action is essential to addressing the public health and environmental risks of PFAS in drinking water and marks a significant milestone in EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap.
‘At EPA, we are advancing the science and the monitoring that are necessary to protect all communities from PFAS,’ said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. ‘With the data provided by this rule, EPA will be able to develop better regulations while the agency, states, and our local partners will be able to make protective public health decisions that are grounded in science.’
EPA uses the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule to monitor for priority unregulated contaminants in drinking water every five years. UCMR 5 will collect new data on 29 PFAS that is needed to improve EPA’s understanding of the frequency and magnitude at which these chemicals are found in the nation’s drinking water systems. Additionally, expanded monitoring in UCMR 5 will improve EPA’s ability to conduct state and regional assessments of contamination. This will enable analyses of potential Environmental Justice impacts on disadvantaged communities. This data will also serve as a potential source of information for systems with infrastructure funding needs for emerging contaminant remediation.”…