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By Denise Civiletti - May 14, 2025
The federal Environmental Protection Agency today announced it is delaying by two years the deadline by which water systems must comply with maximum contaminant levels for PFOA and PFOS, two of the “forever chemicals” the agency set national standards for last year.
The EPA also announced it intends to rescind and reconsider the maximum contaminant levels it set last year for three additional PFAS chemicals known as “GenX” PFAS. It will also rescind and reconsider the “hazard index” combined standard for the “GenX” chemicals and a fourth PFAS chemical, PFBS.
The agency adopted drinking water regulations for six PFAS chemicals in April 2024, setting maximum contaminant levels of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS and 10 parts per trillion for the “GenX” chemicals, and the “hazard index” combined standard. Under the regulations adopted last year, water systems had until 2029 to comply with the new standards. That deadline is now pushed back to 2031.
PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” are harmful substances linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children, the EPA said in a press release announcing the rule.
PFAS — shorthand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are synthetic chemicals used for a variety of purposes in many different industrial processes and consumer products. They are also found in firefighting foam used to extinguish certain types of fires, including those involving fuels.
The chemical compounds are among the most persistent in existence – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time — and contaminate everything from drinking water to food, food packaging and personal care products, according to scientists. They are found in the blood of virtually everyone, including newborn babies.
PFAS contamination of drinking water on Long Island — where drinking water is drawn from groundwater — is a widespread problem, including in Riverhead, where private wells in some areas, including Calverton, have PFAS contamination above the EPA’s 4 ppt standard. The Riverhead Water District is working to extend public water mains to homes where private wells are contaminated. PFAS contamination is also widespread in the groundwater in and around the former Navy plant formerly operated by Navy contractor Northrop Grumman, known as the Enterprise Park at Calverton. PFAS contamination has also been detected in the Peconic River south of the EPCAL site.
“The work to protect Americans from PFAS in drinking water started under the first Trump Administration and will continue under my leadership,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a press release announcing the changes.
“We are on a path to uphold the agency’s nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water. At the same time, we will work to provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance,” Zeldin said.
“This will support water systems across the country, including small systems in rural communities, as they work to address these contaminants. EPA will also continue to use its regulatory and enforcement tools to hold polluters accountable,” Zeldin said.
Clean-water advocate Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment denounced the EPA’s decision.
“This is a broken promise, betrayal of public trust and adds a significant threat to public health,” Esposito said in a press release.
“The two-year delay is unnecessary and risky. Water suppliers were given five full years to comply, and billions of dollars were made available to help communities invest in the necessary drinking water treatment technology,” Esposito said. The longer remedial action is delayed, the worse the problem will get, and the more expensive the solutions will become, she said.
“Peer-reviewed science has made clear that there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in drinking water, and delays in acting puts public health at risk to serious health impacts, including cancer and liver damage. This is clearly a decision that prioritizes saving money over saving lives.”
Zeldin, of Shirley, represented New York’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives and said he remains “a staunch advocate for protecting Long Islanders and all Americans from contaminated drinking water. ”
The EPA press release today noted that Zeldin was a founding member of the PFAS Congressional Taskforce and supported the PFAS Action Act, legislation to provide funding to support local communities cleaning up PFAS-contaminated water systems. The PFAS Action Act passed the House in 2021, but died in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it did not gain enough Republican support to overcome a filibuster.
Last month, Zeldin announced a number of actions the EPA will be taking to combat PFAS pollution, including the development of effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) for PFAS manufacturers and metal finishers and the evaluation of other effluent limitations guidelines necessary to reduce PFAS discharges.
Effluent limitations guidelines are intended to address PFAS at their source, the EPA said. Limiting discharges will help reduce the burden on water systems and limit costs to consumers.
