PFAS, a large class of human-made chemicals, continues to present a major public health concern in Wisconsin and beyond. Since the Center published its PFAS policy brief in 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued an April 2024 final rule establishing drinking water standards—also referred to as MCLs—for six PFAS compounds. EPA signaled in May 2025 an intent to rescind standards for four of those compounds, and followed that announcement with the beginning of formal rulemaking in May 2026. The public comment period for the rule rescinding four PFAS MCLs is open until July 20, 2026. See the Federal Register notice and Regulations.gov to learn more about participating in this critical public comment opportunity. EPA is maintaining the standards for two of the most studied PFAS compounds, PFOA and PFOS, but issued another proposed rule in May 2026 that would extend the compliance deadline from 2029 to 2031 for these two compounds. See the Federal Register notice and Regulations.gov to comment by July 20, 2026 on this compliance deadline extension rule.
Our updated Policy Brief breaks down the legal context, timelines, and key implications—and offers recommendations for navigating what comes next.
Citation:
Andrian Lee, Tressie Kamp and Melissa Scanlan, Update to PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Supplies: Regulatory Context, Policy Brief, Center for Water Policy (2025).
Read the November 2025 PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Supplies Policy Brief:
For those interested in health risk assessment tools, don’t miss Dr. Laura Suppes’ work on PFAS exposure risks, featured in our 2023 Earth Month Webinar. https://youtu.be/FhTVF4uhveE