HB 1085

Abstract

Department of Environmental Quality; Department of Health; PFAS; identification; monitoring; PFAS Expert Advisory Council established; report. Requires, for every public water system, as defined in the bill, the Department of Health (VDH) to assist the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) by transferring to the Department quarterly all validated monitoring results available to VDH that indicate PFAS maximum containment level, as defined in the bill, exceedances. In such circumstances, the bill provides that the Department is required to develop and implement a plan to prioritize and conduct PFAS assessments for identifying significant sources of PFAS in such public water system's raw water source or sources. The bill requires any facility, if deemed by the Department to be a potentially significant source of PFAS in the public water system's raw water source, (i) to perform and promptly report the results of quarterly discharge monitoring for one year and (ii) to report to the Department, within 90 days after being directed by the Department, its manufacture or use of PFAS. The bill establishes a PFAS Expert Advisory Committee to assist the Department and VDH in its PFAS-related efforts and requires the Committee to meet at least two times per year through June 30, 2027. The bill requires the Department to annually report certain information to the Governor and the General Assembly by October 1. This bill incorporates HB 245 and is identical to SB 243.

Department of Environmental Quality; PFAS;identification; monitoring; PFAS Advisory Committee established;report. Requires the owner or operator of a publicly owned treatmentworks to monitor PFAS levels, as defined in the bill, in effluent,influent, and biosolids at least quarterly and report all such monitoringdata on an applicable discharge monitoring report required by federalregulations. The bill requires the Department of Environmental Quality(the Department), in certain circumstances, to develop a PFAS actionplan to identify and address sources of certain PFAS detected ina public water system's raw water source, perform outreach efforts regarding PFAS contamination, report annually on its activities,and work with certain entities in developing its PFAS action plans.The bill requires certain facilities that manufacture or use PFASto report the use of such chemicals to the Department and to monitorsuch PFAS at least quarterly unless at another frequency at the directionof the Director of the Department. The bill also directs the Departmentand the Virginia Department of Health to jointly establish a PFASAdvisory Committee to assist with PFAS-related activities and appointsuch committee's members to include legislative members and a wide range of nonlegislative citizen members and to report annually tothe Governor and the General Assembly on the Committee's activities and recommendations.