Bill > S1043

This bill, the 2026 Water Safety Act, aims to address emerging contaminants, primarily PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of man-made chemicals) and 1,4-Dioxane, by establishing new programs and funding for their mitigation and research. It creates an Emerging Contaminant Mitigation Fund to provide grants to local governments for activities such as water testing, installing treatment technologies, emergency response, and offering technical assistance to industrial users to reduce PFAS and 1,4-Dioxane discharges. The bill also appropriates significant funds for research into these contaminants, including their detection, environmental impact, and removal technologies, with a portion specifically allocated to firefighter protection and studies related to PFAS exposure in firefighters. Furthermore, it sets maximum contaminant levels for certain PFAS in drinking water and establishes requirements for industrial dischargers to limit PFAS in their wastewater, while also implementing a moratorium on new or increased water transfers from the upper Cape Fear River Basin and initiating a study of the basin's water supply. Finally, the bill allocates funds for the Bernard Allen Drinking Water Fund and for the Department of Environmental Quality's lab operations and field work related to PFAS contamination.