We're excited to roll out our collaborative report, "Invisible, Unbreakable, Unnatural: PFAS Contamination of U.S. Surface Waters" today, October 18, 2022 – the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The report, interactive ArcGIS story map, list of PFAS chemicals and other resources can be found at waterkeeper.org/pfas.
This first-of-its-kind surface water survey by Waterkeeper Alliance reveals that the scale of dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface waters across the country are staggering and a blaring wakeup call. A total of 113 local Waterkeepers surveyed 114 waterways across 34 states and the District of Columbia with 83% of the waters tested across the country found to be contaminated by dangerous PFAS chemicals — a finding that should sound the alarm for the EPA to act with urgency to protect the health of our communities and our environment.
The results clearly show widespread PFAS contamination across the country and demonstrate that existing laws and regulations are inadequate for protecting us. In some waterways, the level of PFAS contamination is thousands to hundreds of thousands times greater than EPA's health advisory levels. Congress and EPA must act with urgency to control persistent PFAS contamination across the country. The current lack of oversight puts the health and safety of communities and ecosystems across the nation at risk and results in costly cleanup and treatment activities to remove PFAS contamination after it has occurred.
To start tackling this crisis, Waterkeeper Alliance first urges Congress to pass the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2022 to reduce the levels of PFAS entering our waters in the first place. The bill requires EPA to set new standards under the Clean Water Act for at least nine industry categories that are known to discharge PFAS into the environment. The scale of this problem is greater than could be imagined — it is time for the federal government to act quickly to protect the health of our families, our communities, and ecosystems.
That is the first step in our campaign to tackle these “forever chemicals.” We will also need federal drinking water limits, hazardous substance and waste designations, adoption of water quality criteria for surface waters, and a coordinated water monitoring program. Please join us by advocating with us or sending a donation to help us. We appreciate your support.
