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ARTICLE · 03 JANUARY 2024

Wisconsin PFAS Groundwater Standards Halted—for Now

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The wait will continue for Wisconsin per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) enforcement standards for groundwater.

United StatesEnvironment
Peter A. Tomasi
Peter A. Tomasi
Elizabeth S. Stone
Elizabeth S. Stone
Grace E. Stippich
Grace E. Stippich
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The wait will continue for Wisconsin per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) enforcement standards for groundwater. Last week the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) formally halted its efforts to adopt PFAS groundwater standards due to the significant projected enforcement and compliance costs associated with the standards.

PFAS are nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment and comprise a diverse group of many man-made chemicals that have been used in commercial products and industrial processes worldwide since the 1940s.

Last fall, the DNR initiated a rulemaking process to enact groundwater standards of four PFAS (after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued health advisories for these same substances).1 Anticipated costs are to blame for stopping the process. The estimated implementation and compliance costs of the DNR's proposed standards would total over $33 million in the first two years. This

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