Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

Minnesota Department of Health Publishes 2025 Drinking Water Annual Report Highlighting PFAS Testing and Lead Service Line Goals

Minnesota’s health department has released its 2025 Drinking Water Annual Report, confirming high compliance with federal standards while massively expanding PFAS monitoring and committing $243 million to replace an estimated 90,000 lead service lines by 2033. This underscores tightening federal and state expectations around PFAS and lead in drinking water, signalling upcoming treatment, infrastructure, and cybersecurity investments for public water systems and potential knock-on impacts for industrial users relying on Minnesota’s water supplies.

15 May 2026, 16:12health.state.mn.usUnited States

Hawaii Department of Health Confirms PFBA Detection in Haleakalā National Park Water System

In May 2026, the Hawaii Department of Health announced low-level detection of the PFAS compound PFBA in water samples from the Haleakalā National Park public water system, confirming contamination but at concentrations well below the state’s action level and with no immediate public health concern. For compliance and risk planning, this statutory notice under Hawaii’s safe drinking water law flags a PFAS presence in a sensitive national park water supply, reinforcing the need for continued monitoring and preparedness for potential future tightening of drinking water standards.

15 May 2026, 13:34health.hawaii.govUnited States

US Senate Hearing: Senator Murray Presses EPA Administrator Over PFAS Drinking-Water Rollbacks and Clean Water Funding Cuts

In May 2026, US Senator Patty Murray used an EPA budget hearing to attack the agency’s proposed rollback of PFAS drinking-water standards and sharp cuts to federal State Revolving Fund water infrastructure financing. The exchange signals growing political resistance to weakening PFAS protections or allowing a post-IIJA funding cliff, increasing pressure on EPA and Congress to maintain stringent drinking-water rules and stable long-term investment in treatment infrastructure.

15 May 2026, 09:35appropriations.senate.govUnited States

Colorado Senate Committee Lays Over Underground Injection Control Wells Bill HB1112 After House Passage

On 11 May 2026, Colorado’s HB1112 on underground injection control wells passed the House, was introduced in the Senate, and was laid over unamended by the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee after amendment attempts failed, leaving the reengrossed text under active consideration rather than enacted. If ultimately passed, the bill would give state regulators primacy, fee authority, and new penalty tools for multiple UIC well classes from an earliest effective date of 12 August 2026, tightening permitting and enforcement for energy, mining, and subsurface storage projects while supporting climate and water‑management objectives.

13 May 2026, 11:51leg.colorado.govUnited States

Colorado Legislature Advances HB1112 on State Regulation of Underground Injection Control Wells

In May 2026, Colorado lawmakers advanced HB1112, a bill to expand state regulation and potential primacy over multiple classes of underground injection control wells, from House Appropriations to the full House. If enacted, the measure would centralise permitting, fees and enforcement for UIC wells across energy, mining and water projects under state agencies, tightening penalties while supporting Colorado’s longer-term carbon management and groundwater-protection strategy.

11 May 2026, 11:58leg.colorado.govUnited States

US EPA Plans To Weaken Certain PFAS Drinking Water Limits and Extend PFOA/PFOS Compliance Deadline

An EPA water official has signalled that the agency will propose rescinding some Biden-era drinking water limits for less common PFAS and a PFAS mixture standard, while keeping strict 4 ppt MCLs for PFOA and PFOS but extending utilities’ compliance horizon to 2031. This points to a more targeted but still demanding PFAS compliance regime for US drinking water, with renewed SDWA rulemaking, litigation risk, and planning uncertainty for water systems and PFAS producers.

9 May 2026, 14:11medpagetoday.comUnited States

US EPA Plans To Revisit PFAS Drinking Water Rule, Rescind Some Limits And Extend Compliance To 2031

A senior US EPA official has signalled that the agency will soon propose revising its PFAS drinking water rule by rescinding limits for several less-common PFAS, maintaining the strict PFOA/PFOS standards, and extending the compliance deadline for those two chemicals to 2031. If implemented, this shift would alter compliance planning and treatment investments for water utilities and PFAS‑exposed sectors, while heightening legal and political risks around weakening parts of the Safe Drinking Water Act framework.

9 May 2026, 13:39bostonherald.comUnited States

Indiana Environmental Rules Board Schedules First Hearing On NAAQS Reference And Public Water Supply Construction Fee Rules

Indiana’s Environmental Rules Board is holding a first public hearing in May 2026 on proposed rules to align state air NAAQS references with federal designations and to waive certain public water supply construction permit fees for nonprofit religious organisations. For operators of regulated air emission sources and small drinking water systems, this signals administrative alignment rather than new technical emission or water quality obligations, while modestly reducing permitting costs for some entities.

9 May 2026, 13:18in.govUnited States

Idaho DEQ Schedules First Negotiated Rulemaking Meeting on Ground Water Quality Rule (Docket 58-0111-2601)

Idaho DEQ has opened negotiated rulemaking on its Ground Water Quality Rule (docket 58-0111-2601) to align state groundwater standards with federal primary drinking water standards, with a first meeting on 13 May 2026 and Negotiated Rule Draft No. 1 open for comment until 20 May 2026. This signals likely tightening and clarification of groundwater limits for arsenic, lead, uranium and certain PFAS in Idaho, so water utilities and industrial groundwater users should track the process and prepare for potential changes to contaminant standards and compliance obligations.

8 May 2026, 18:54deq.idaho.govUnited States

Alabama ADEM Seeks Comment on Draft UIC Permit for Petro South #160

Alabama’s environmental regulator has issued a draft Class V Underground Injection Control permit for Petro South #160 in Dothan and is accepting public comments until 4 June 2026. If finalised as proposed, the permit will authorise injection of remediation reagents under strict groundwater monitoring, electronic reporting, and federal–state water law constraints, creating clear operational and compliance obligations for the site operator.

8 May 2026, 07:00adem.alabama.govUnited States

United States PFAS Water Settlements: 2026 Claim Deadlines for 3M and DuPont Public Water System Funds

US public water utilities face final 2026 deadlines to file Phase Two claims under the 3M and DuPont PFAS water settlements, accessing multi-billion-dollar Action Fund and Special Needs Fund payouts tied to contamination of drinking water sources. Utilities must verify eligibility, test at each wellhead or intake, and assemble robust cost and capacity documentation now to secure funding for PFAS treatment projects and compliance with EPA’s new PFAS drinking water standards, or risk permanently forfeiting this recovery opportunity.

7 May 2026, 19:22pfaswatersettlement.comUnited States

US House Introduces Safe Water in Schools Act to Expand Lead Filtration Grants in Schools

The US House has introduced the Safe Water in Schools Act of 2026 (H.R. 8614) to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act by expanding grants for certified lead filtration systems in school and child care drinking water and increasing program funding through 2030. If enacted, this would significantly boost federal resources for proactive lead risk mitigation in educational facilities, shaping future budgets, infrastructure planning, and compliance strategies for school districts, child care providers, and drinking water programs.

6 May 2026, 19:33congress.govUnited States

California Water Service Group Q1 2026 10‑Q Highlights PFAS Compliance Investments, Settlements, And Rate Case

California Water Service Group's Q1 2026 Form 10-Q reveals large, time-bound PFAS treatment investments, major class-action settlement inflows and key rate-case developments under EPA's new PFAS drinking water standards. These signals confirm that PFAS regulation is translating into multi-year capital commitments, cost-recovery pressure and heightened regulatory risk for US water utilities and their suppliers.

5 May 2026, 15:56sec.govUnited States

D.C. Circuit: American Water Works Association Files Opening Brief Against EPA Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI)

American Water Works Association has filed an opening brief in the D.C. Circuit challenging EPA’s 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, arguing the rule unlawfully forces utilities to replace privately owned lead service lines on an aggressive 10-year timetable. If the court narrows, delays, or vacates parts of the rule, water systems may see significant changes to lead service line replacement obligations, costs, and long-term capital planning for drinking water infrastructure.

3 May 2026, 09:20storage.courtlistener.comUnited States

Florida DEP Proposes Amendments to Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Reporting Rule 62-550.825

Florida’s environmental regulator has proposed amending Rule 62-550.825 to adopt the 2024 federal consumer confidence report requirements for public drinking water systems, with a public comment window running until 6 May 2026. This will likely require Florida water utilities to adjust how they compile and deliver annual drinking water quality reports, with implications for data management, compliance processes, and alignment with emerging Safe Drinking Water Act reporting standards.

3 May 2026, 07:27flrules.orgUnited States

California Senate Amends SB 1313 on PFAS Drinking Water Funding and Re-Refers Bill to Appropriations

In April 2026 the California Senate further amended SB 1313, a bill that would allow Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund dollars to be used for projects addressing PFAS contamination in drinking water, and sent it to the Senate Appropriations Committee. If enacted, this would expand access to state financing for PFAS treatment infrastructure—particularly for smaller and disadvantaged water systems—strengthening support for long-term PFAS compliance planning without creating new direct treatment mandates.

1 May 2026, 17:56leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

US HHS and EPA Launch $144 Million STOMP Microplastics Programme and Add Microplastics to Draft CCL 6

On 2 April 2026, US HHS and EPA jointly launched the $144 million ARPA-H STOMP programme on microplastics in the human body and, for the first time, listed microplastics as a priority contaminant group on EPA’s draft drinking water Contaminant Candidate List 6 under the Safe Drinking Water Act. These moves do not yet impose new regulatory limits but signal a major federal push to standardise microplastics measurement, assess health risks, and lay the groundwork for potential future US drinking water standards that water utilities and plastics-intensive sectors should monitor closely.

30 Apr 2026, 06:53epa.govUnited States

Alabama ADEM Drafts FY2025 DWSRF Emerging Contaminants IUP for PFAS Drinking Water Projects

Alabama’s environmental regulator has released a draft FY2025 plan to deploy $13.49 million in federal DWSRF Emerging Contaminants funding as 100% principal-forgiveness loans for PFAS mitigation projects at public water systems, open to comment until 26 May 2026. This accelerates PFAS treatment investment and infrastructure upgrades across Alabama’s drinking water systems, supporting compliance with tightening federal standards and shaping future capital planning for utilities and affected industries.

30 Apr 2026, 06:17adem.alabama.govUnited States

US House Environment Subcommittee Hearing On Environmental Laws, Critical Material Supply Chains, And TSCA

In April 2026 the US House Energy and Commerce Committee's Environment Subcommittee held a hearing on how major environmental laws including TSCA, RCRA, CERCLA, the Clean Air Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act affect critical material and chemical supply chains. The discussion signals congressional interest in easing regulatory bottlenecks that could constrain domestic access to critical minerals and key chemistries, so compliance teams should anticipate potential proposals to streamline TSCA reviews and adjust related environmental requirements.

25 Apr 2026, 10:49energycommerce.house.govUnited States

US EPA Opens $30 Million RealWaterTA Grants for Small and Rural Water Systems

In April 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened a national RealWaterTA grant competition offering up to $30.7 million for technical assistance and training to help small and rural drinking water and wastewater systems, and private well owners, improve water quality and meet Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. This funding round, delivered through a handful of awards to eligible non-profits and higher-education institutions with applications due in mid-May 2026, signals continued federal support for bolstering small-system capacity and resilience, particularly in rural communities facing infrastructure and compliance challenges.

23 Apr 2026, 09:35epa.govUnited States