Maryland Environment Department Proposes PFAS Drinking Water Limits: About 150 Systems over the Standard, $150 Million in Upgrades, Comments Through November 30
Maryland — The Maryland Department of the Environment published a proposed rule on PFAS limits in drinking water in the Maryland Register (Vol. 53, Issue 22) on October 30, proposing standards identical to the 2024 federal rule. Public comments are open through November 30, and no public hearing has been scheduled.
The department estimates that about 950 water systems statewide will need to comply, and that about 15 percent of them — roughly 150 systems — currently exceed the proposed standards. Bringing those systems into compliance would cost about $150 million, mainly from federal grants, and would benefit about 182,000 residents.
The rule covers community water systems serving year-round residents and non-transient non-community systems such as schools and office buildings; it does not cover private wells. The department said that if the federal rule is amended, the state will adopt the updated rule consistent with state law. Maryland's attorney general has previously filed comments opposing the federal proposal to roll back four of the limits, and the department's five-year statewide PFAS study of public water systems was completed in 2025.
Source: GSM America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Maryland State House from College Ave。来源：Wikimedia Commons（Martin Falbisoner，CC BY-SA 3.0）
