The Virginia State Water Commission met on June 24, 2024, to discuss a bill that would set regulations on drinking water treatment and establish a fund to test and treat contaminated drinking water.
House Bill 1295 (HB 1295) was introduced in early 2024 by delegate Ellen H. Campbell.
The bill would direct the State Board of Health to adopt regulations to utilize point-of-use or point-of-entry drinking water treatment or filtration to remove or significantly reduce concentrations of contaminants of concern that meet or exceed any maximum contaminant level (MCL) or health advisory for the same contaminant set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The bill would also establish the Rural Water Supply Program and Fund to allow the Department of Health’s office of Drinking Water to test and treat contaminated drinking water for individuals on private wells and small rural public water systems.
Some of the contaminants included that would need treatment are PFAS. The EPA passed MCLs for PFAS contaminants on April 10, 2024.
The Virginia Department of Health found 26 water systems out of 274 to have PFAS above the EPA set MCLs.
Through
Through HB 1295, the state of Virginia would look to eliminate the contaminants by utilizing point-of-use and point-of-entry treatment.
