Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.
On May 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their plan to roll back significant portions of the Biden administration’s first nationwide drinking water standard for PFAS. While limits for PFOA and PFOS will remain, the agency is extending the compliance deadline and intends to reconsider rules for other PFAS, like GenX. This development comes as the international community takes a stance on a subgroup of PFAS called long chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs). LC-PFCAs are set for a global ban under the Stockholm Convention by January 1, 2026, affecting 186 countries, not including the U.S.
Meanwhile, Michigan Democratic Representatives Debbie Dingell and Kristen McDonald Rivet announced they will co-chair the Bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force. Joining Republican Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), a founding member, the task force aims to, as McDonald Rivet stated, “raise awareness of the risk of PFAS chemicals and advocate for commonsense solutions for our constituents.”
According to Wilcox Newspapers, the Sturgis Municipal Wells Superfund Site in Michigan was added to the state’s PFAS Action Response Team monitoring list after tests in late 2024 revealed PFAS contamination. While two older industrial sites showed some PFAS levels exceeding state cleanup standards, city officials assured that Sturgis’ drinking water remains safe and is regularly tested. Cleanup efforts at the site started back in the 1990s and continue under state oversight.
On May 3, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration announced its Discretionary Budget Request for fiscal year 2026. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the budget proposes cutting the EPA’s funding by $4.9 billion, or 54.5%, which would reduce the agency’s budget to levels not seen since the Reagan administration. Approximately half of these cuts would impact state programs funding drinking water and wastewater projects.
The Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee is reviewing proposed cuts to the 2025-2027 state budget, including the removal of key measures aimed at addressing PFAS contamination. These proposed cuts would remove $145 million allocated for addressing PFAS in drinking wells and public water systems, as well as funding for 10 Wisconsin DNR employees dedicated to PFAS monitoring and remediation.
In a press release, the City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, announced it has begun receiving payments from PFAS settlements, starting with a $1.68 million installment from 3M. The city anticipates a total of $9.4 million from 3M by 2033 and expects over $12 million from all its PFAS lawsuits.
On May 12, the Illinois EPA notified 10 community water systems about potential PFAS exposure due to their emergency connections. In mid-April, the Illinois EPA found high levels of PFAS in the drinking water of 47 community water systems. Around 438,000 people get their water from the affected systems, which are now required to improve safety by 2029.
More PFAS news in case you missed it:
- A new study discovered PFAS in numerous beers sold in the United States, linking the contamination to municipal water used in the brewing process. Some of the highest PFAS levels were found in beers brewed in North Carolina.
- U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that the federal government is aware of the high PFAS levels in Johnson County, Texas, where toxic contamination has been disrupting farmers since the state of disaster was declared in February 2025.
- Drinking Water Week (May 4-10) was celebrated in Millis, Massachusetts, with the completion of their new PFAS removal facility. This is the first in their town, but officials say they are already working on a second removal facility.
- On May 6, the Oregon legislature passed a controversial bill banning firefighting foam containing PFAS, which have been used in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) for liquid fuel fires since the 1970s.
- CHAR Technologies, Synagro and the Baltimore City Department of Public Works are launching a new project to test a high-temperature pyrolysis system designed to destroy PFAS found in wastewater sludge. A public demonstration of this project took place on May 9th, 2025, at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Baltimore.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated from an earlier version to accommodate breaking news from the U.S. EPA.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
EPA nixes PFAS grants, teases new strategy
Susan Crawford’s Wisconsin Supreme Court win could be a win for PFAS
Featured image: Firefighting foam remains on the ground surface following a tanker truck accident. EPA tests show that aqueous film forming foam used to fight flammable liquid fires have contaminated area drinking water with PFAS. (Photo Credit: iStock)
