This week, the Arkansas Department of Energy and the Environment (E&E) received a $1.8M state grant to test surface waters for PFAS contamination. The funding was provided through Drinking Water State Revolving Fund set-asides from the Arkansas Department of Health. Several additional water and wastewater projects were also approved for funding, as outlined in the announcement of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
E&E’s pioneering testing program aims to identify PFAS contamination at its source, a potentially more cost-effective approach than addressing it during the drinking water treatment process. The Department will use the test results to inform decisions on whether and how to implement monitoring requirements, pretreatment requirements, or other permit conditions for PFAS, as recommended by U.S. EPA.
