In this article by WilmerHale's David Gold, Rachel Jacobson and Heidi Ruckriegle—along with Nikki Delude Roy of Golder Associates—published in the American Bar Association's Water Resources Committee Newsletter, the authors discuss the current and proposed standards for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater and other media. They explain that the regulation and management of risks from these emerging contaminants will be a moving target for the near future. The authors urge entities with affected interests to closely monitor the processes that are developing the relevant rules and participate in those processes as their interests warrant.

Excerpt: Awareness of the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (a.k.a. emerging contaminants) in public and private water supplies around the country has become a considerable focus of public officials and the general public. This awareness arose from recent developments in analytical techniques which allow lower concentrations of these compounds to be detected, new drinking water health advisory levels announced by the US Environmental Protection Agency and an increased understanding of the potential health effects of chemicals in food, air, water, and other environmental media. Read the article.