Officials at the New Castle Sanitation Authority are working to comply with new standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Authority Executive Director Richard Christopher said the authority is evaluating the EPA’s first-ever limits on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”
He said the standards are for agencies that serve drinking water, while the authority only treats sewage and stormwater.
“NCSA is aware of the new drinking water standards and is evaluating how they may affect NCSA’s sewage treatment requirements,” Christopher said. “NCSA is committed to complying with all requirements the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and federal government have for NCSA’s sewer treatment plant.”
PFAS chemicals are hazardous because they don’t degrade in the environment and are linked to health issues such as low birth weight and liver disease, along with certain cancers. The EPA estimates the rule will cost about $1.5 billion to implement each year, but doing so will prevent nearly 10,000 deaths over decades and significantly reduce serious illnesses.
They’ve been used in everyday products including nonstick pans, firefighting foam and waterproof clothing. Although some of the most common types are phased out in the U.S., others remain. Water providers will now be forced to remove contamination put in the environment by other industries.
Christopher said the soon-to-be-completed upgrades to the authority’s main sewage plant will significantly increase the plant’s ability to treat wastewater and stormwater to federal and state standards. The upgrades were required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to address stormwater infiltration, which was over the limit.
Plant manager Joe McIlvenny previously said among the improvements, BIOACTIFLO, from Veolia Water Technologies, will be used to help with the treatment of stormwater.
To help with the cost of addressing the chemicals, the EPA announced the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant — grants for agencies who need assistance the most to address removing contaminants, including forever chemicals.
Information on the grant is available on the EPA’s website, epa.gov. In addition, the EPA will host two online webinars from 2-3 p.m. Tuesday and April 30 on forever chemicals.
The first will be on the EPA’s new standards, while the second will be on the regulation and treatment methods for the chemicals. Information and registration for the webinars are available on the EPA’s website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.