Michigan Sets New PFAS Drinking Water Guidelines and Starts Rulemaking Process

The state of Michigan has set new public health drinking water screening levels and will develop draft rules for five PFAS compounds this year. The new screening levels (advisory guidelines) are more conservative than EPA’s health screening levels for PFOA and PFOS to account for vulnerable subpopulations (see table below). The screening levels will be used in determining if public health actions or further investigation is needed when PFAS is found in drinking water. The screening levels can also serve toward developing the state drinking water PFAS Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs).

For the development of state rules, the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) has charged its new Science Advisory Workgroup with a deadline of July 1, 2019 to develop health-based recommendations for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), which is a new name for the former Department of Environmental Quality. The EGLE will then consider the recommendations as part of its rulemaking process for developing PFAS drinking water MCLs. The EGLE will also seek input from stakeholders to create the administrative rules. The draft rules are expected to be developed by October 1, 2019 and adopted in the spring of 2020.

For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse.