The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has partnered with the Town of Payson to clean up contaminates in the local drinking water system.
ADEQ will contract with a local engineering firm to identify options for mitigating the long-lasting chemicals – known as PFAS – found in the town’s drinking water. These chemicals are used commercially in the U.S. in everything from food packaging to firefighting foam, and exposure in certain amounts can harm human health.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing new rules for this class of contaminants, and ADEQ estimates the state has at least 70 water systems in small communities that will need PFAS mitigation.
The agency received $42 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and an additional $5 million in state funding to test drinking water systems in small or disadvantaged communities and design treatment options and infrastructure improvements.