The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission announced on Mar. 24 that it will hold three public hearings in April to gather comments on proposed rules for monitoring and minimizing certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater discharged into the state’s surface waters.
The hearings are part of a comment period that began March 16, aiming to address concerns about PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and potential health impacts. According to the commission, an estimated 3.5 million North Carolinians currently drink tap water with PFAS levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s upcoming health-based standard.
Public hearings are scheduled for April 7 at Asheville’s AB-Tech Community College, April 20 at Raleigh’s Archdale Building, and April 23 at Wilmington City Hall. Each event will begin with sign-in and speaker registration at 5 p.m., followed by the hearing at 6 p.m. The commission said written comments can also be submitted by email or mail through June 15.
The proposed rules—15A NCAC 02b .0512 and 15A NCAC 02H .0923—focus on monitoring three specific compounds: PFOS, PFOA, and GenX. They would require industrial National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System dischargers as well as publicly owned treatment facilities accepting industrial waste to characterize these chemicals in their discharges. Certain direct dischargers and significant industrial users would also need to develop plans aimed at reducing these substances from entering surface waters.
In addition to general feedback on the rule adoptions and regulatory impact analysis, the commission is seeking input on whether a screening threshold should be established above the lowest reporting concentration for triggering ongoing requirements; if applicability should be limited based on industry classification codes linked to PFAS use; and whether all entities should submit full analytical results using EPA Test Method 1633A.
Those wishing to provide verbal or written remarks may do so during any of the scheduled hearings or via email or mail until June 15. The full text of the proposed rules is available online. Requests for translation or interpretive services must be made by March 31.
