CFPUA opposes EPA plan to roll back PFAS drinking water standards
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain proposed federal drinking water regulations for several PFAS compounds, arguing that rescinding the standards would weaken public health protections and create uncertainty for utilities nationwide.
On Monday, July 20, CFPUA submitted formal comments opposing the EPA’s plan to withdraw proposed regulatory limits for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (commonly known as GenX chemicals), and a hazard index that also includes PFBS.
The proposed rollback follows a May 18 announcement by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin that the agency intends to rescind regulations for those compounds while maintaining proposed drinking water standards for PFOS and PFOA under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
In comments submitted to the EPA, CFPUA Executive Director Kenneth Waldroup, P.E., said the agency has not presented new scientific evidence to justify reversing the standards that were developed through years of research and public input.
“EPA’s original determinations and final PFAS standards established a coherent, scientifically grounded, and nationally enforceable framework,” Waldroup wrote. “The proposed rescission would dismantle that framework, deprive the public of necessary health protections, and introduce regulatory uncertainty at the very moment when clarity is most essential.”
The federal PFAS drinking water standards were first proposed in April 2024 and finalized following an extensive public comment process that generated more than 120,000 public responses.
While the EPA has indicated it will continue moving forward with standards for PFOS and PFOA, CFPUA officials say removing limits for other PFAS compounds—particularly GenX—would undermine efforts to protect communities that have dealt with PFAS contamination for years.
The Cape Fear region has been at the center of the nation’s PFAS crisis since GenX contamination was discovered in the Cape Fear River in 2017. Since then, CFPUA has invested tens of millions of dollars to improve water quality and reduce PFAS exposure for customers.
Those investments include a $43 million granular activated carbon filtration system designed to remove GenX and other PFAS from drinking water, along with extensive water quality monitoring, pilot treatment studies, and ongoing litigation against upstream chemical manufacturers Chemours and DuPont.
CFPUA officials said rescinding the proposed regulations would leave utilities facing uncertainty after years of planning and investment based on the expectation of comprehensive federal standards.
“It is known, and has been known, that regulation of PFAS, including GenX, is critical for public-health protection,” Waldroup wrote in the agency’s comments. “The community served by CFPUA has been at the frontline of providing this protection for nearly a decade.”
The EPA will review public comments before making a final decision on whether to move forward with the proposed regulatory changes.
