SB 243

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 SB 462 and is identical to HB 1085.

Department of Environmental Quality; PFAS; identification; monitoring; PFAS Advisory Committee established; report. Requiresthe owner or operator of a publicly owned treatment works to monitorPFAS levels, as defined in the bill, in effluent, influent, and biosolidsat least quarterly and report all such monitoring data on an applicabledischarge monitoring report required by federal regulations. Thebill requires the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department),in certain circumstances, to develop a PFAS action plan to identifyand address sources of certain PFAS detected in a public water system'sraw 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 facilitiesthat manufacture or use PFAS to report the use of such chemicalsto the Department and to monitor such PFAS at least quarterly unlessat another frequency at the direction of the Director of the Department.The bill also directs the Department and the Virginia Departmentof Health to jointly establish a PFAS Advisory Committee to assistwith PFAS-related activities and appoint such committee's membersto include legislative members and a wide range of nonlegislativecitizen members and to report annually to the Governor and the GeneralAssembly on the Committee's activities and recommendations.