What to watch for
Federal report on PFAS
The federal government has been reviewing the scientific evidence for treating PFAS as a broad class of chemicals. It will release its report on the state of PFAS in Canada in 2023 (Department of the Environment and Department of Health, 2021).
Potential regulation as a class
In light of the growing concern about PFAS and the federal consultation, PFAS substances may soon be regulated as a single class of compounds according to their chemical structure. The thousands of known PFAS in existence would be classified, regulated and treated in the same way. This would affect water, wastewater and stormwater utilities.
Updates to legislation
Current regulations and guidelines about PFAS date as far back as 1995. Our understanding has evolved considerably since then. When more evidence-based scientific research is completed, drinking water and wastewater managers can expect updated legislation. In addition to regulating PFAS as a class, updates could include a bigger list of banned PFAS substances, additional protocols for sampling, testing and treatment, and additional compliance requirements.
Read the brief.
