On December 20, EPA announced the release of the agency’s Interim Recommendations for Addressing Groundwater Contaminated with Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) under federal cleanup programs. The guidance, a priority action for EPA based on the agency’s PFAS Action plan, applies to sites being evaluated and/or addressed under federal cleanup programs, such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
According to EPA’s press release, the guidance recommends:
- Using 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.
- 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, where no state or tribal MCL or other applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs) are available or sufficiently protective. PRGs are generally initial targets for cleanup, which may be adjusted on a site-specific basis as more information becomes available.
The agency released the draft for public comment back in April of this year.