On July 7, EPA unveiled its Spring Regulatory Agenda, laying out upcoming and ongoing rulemakings across the agency. The Office of Water (OW) portion of the agenda outlines a series of expected proposed and final rulemakings under both the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).
As part of Executive Order 12866, which dates back to 1993, EPA and other agencies publish Regulatory Plans and Regulatory Agendas, typically involving a spring and fall agenda. It is not uncommon for new Presidential administrations to issue an initial spring agenda later in the year. The Administration's Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, which includes the remainder of other Department and Agency regulatory actions, provides information on regulatory and de-regulatory actions agencies plan to issue in the near- and long-term. The publication of the unified agenda also allows AMWA and other stakeholders important public notice, transparency, and comment opportunities.
The OW section of the EPA regulatory agenda does not introduce any new rulemakings, but it does clarify the timeline for many rules that have already been in the works at the Agency, particularly those related to the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Rulemaking (NPDWR) on PFAS. The compliance deadline extension for the PFAS NPDWR, which is currently open for comment, is expected to be finalized immediately following the comment period. The rulemaking on the rescission of regulatory determinations for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and the mixture of these three PFAS plus PFBS, which is also open for comment, is anticipated to be finalized in September of this year. AMWA has voiced support for these actions in its ongoing litigation and comments to EPA, and is currently working with the regulatory subcommittee to respond to the open comment periods.
The Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) was also highlighted in the OW agenda. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for this rule is currently open for comment. UCMR 6, according to the agenda, is anticipated to be finalized in December of this year.
Beyond SDWA, OW is continuing to pursue Clean Water Act actions with various implications for source-water protection and wastewater management. These include the revision of effluent limitations guidelines (ELG) from PFAS manufacturers, PFAS requirements in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, finalization of an updated definition of “Waters of the United States,” and more. AMWA will work with its membership to identify how these changes may affect drinking water systems and how to respond in its advocacy and regulatory engagement.
What is also notable is a lack of action on key interest areas, specifically microbial and disinfection byproducts (MDBP) and fluoride in drinking water. Although past iterations of the unified agenda have consistently had information on the upcoming MDBP rule revisions, there is no entry for the 2026 version. EPA’s website on MDBP Rule Revisions states that proposed revisions are still anticipated in summer of 2027. Also absent in the new agenda is any mention of developing a revised health risk assessment for fluoride, despite EPA’s release of a draft fluoride assessment plan and literature survey earlier this year.
AMWA will continue to monitor regulatory activity from EPA. For a more in depth view of actions that may impact drinking water systems, check out AMWA’s Regulatory Tracker, available on our Regulatory Resources page.