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How will new federal standards change PFAS regulation in Connecticut?

A glass pouring out drinking water.
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
/
AFP via Getty Images
According to the state Department of Public Health, about one in four Connecticut residents rely on private wells. Currently, the EPA does not regulate private wells or provide recommended standards – and the state doesn’t require Connecticut homeowners to test their wells annually.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its standards PFAS, promising stricter enforceable limits on the so-called "forever chemicals" that would require public water systems to add filtration, or find another source.

So what will that mean in Connecticut, where water quality isn't uniformly monitored, and where the PFAS advisory limit currently in place under the State Department of Health is double the EPA's updated limit?

On Friday, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal announced $73.5 million in federal funding for Connecticut’s cleanup, stressing that without federal dollars, the EPA’s new enforceable limits were "meaningless."

This hour, Connecticut Department of Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani discusses how testing and treatment in Connecticut is likely to change. Plus, investigative reporter Andrew Brown, and Dr. Rainer Lohmann, who heads up a PFAS-focused lab at the University of Rhode Island.

GUESTS:

  • Dr. Manisha Juthani: Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health
  • Andrew Brown: Investigative Reporter, The Connecticut Mirror
  • Dr. Rainer Lohmann: Professor of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island; Director, STEEP Superfund Research Center

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Katie is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio's news-talk show 'Where We Live.' She has previously worked for CNN and News 8-WTNH.
Catherine is the Host of Connecticut Public’s morning talk show and podcast, Where We Live. Catherine and the WWL team focus on going beyond the headlines to bring in meaningful conversations that put Connecticut in context.