Maine
Maine adopts tougher limits on PFAS in drinking water
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has lowered the state limit on forever chemicals, or PFAS, in drinking water to align with rigorous federal standards established by the Biden administration.
The change reduces the maximum amount of the two most harmful forever chemicals to four parts per trillion (ppt) — roughly four drops in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools — and no more than 10 ppt, for three others combined.
The new rule, adopted in December, will be rolled out in phases, from monitoring by 2027 to initial enforcement in 2028. When in full effect, Maine’s 1,900 public drinking water systems could face fines of up to $2,000 per day for exceeding the maximum contaminant limits.
“The (Department of Health and Human Services) has determined that these new requirements are necessary to protect public health,” it wrote in a rule summary. “The department will work with stakeholders to provide technical assistance and guidance where needed.”
Maine’s old limit was 20 ppt for the combined sum of six forever chemicals. The two most harmful, PFOA and PFOS, are now capped at four ppt each, which is a sharp decrease because they account for the bulk of most forever chemical readings in Maine.
Systems have until April 2029 to comply, which could require treating water, drilling new wells or hooking up to a clean water supply. Until then, Maine will use its 20 ppt limit to “cover the gap,” said DHHS spokeswoman Lindsay Hammes.
Forever chemicals have been used since the 1940s in consumer products and industry, including in nonstick pans, food packaging and firefighting foam. Even trace amounts are deemed harmful, linked to a host of health problems that range from immune deficiency to certain cancers.
State public health officials estimate it could cost $50 million to bring Maine’s public drinking water systems into full compliance with the new standard. The state plans to tap the federal safe drinking water revolving loan fund to cover those costs.
Maintaining each system could cost between $1,000 to $100,000 a year, public health officials predict.
An analysis of state data from 2023 by Defend Our Health, a Portland environmental nonprofit, determined that one in 10 Mainers — roughly 134,035 people — drinks from a public water supply that exceeds the limit Maine just adopted, including in Augusta, Sanford and Waterville.
The group’s data showed that more than 14,000 students and staff at 60 Maine schools, day cares, and colleges are drinking water that was below Maine’s old limit but are above its new limit, like Lake Region High School in Naples or Marshwood Middle School in Eliot.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted its protective PFAS limits in April 2024. It said the limit would prevent thousands of premature deaths, serious adult illnesses, and immune and developmental impacts to children.
Private well owners remain responsible for ensuring their water is safe to drink. The quality and safety of private domestic wells are not regulated by the federal government, nor by most state laws. About half of Maine’s residents gets their drinking water from a private well.
Two of the four forever chemicals that had been regulated under the old state rule, PFDA and PFHpA, will not be regulated under the new rule. They are used in food packaging and stain-resistant coatings on rugs and furniture.
Advocates wanted these to count toward the new state limit, but officials say it’s not necessary; they only occur when there is too much PFOA or PFOS anyway. The state will still require the systems to monitor for these chemicals even though they won’t count toward the cap.
The new rule will also require Maine water systems to regulate two new forever chemicals: GenX and PFBS. These chemicals were created to replace PFOA and PFOS but have been found to pose similar health concerns.
Previously, the EPA had advised but not required a drinking water limit of 70 ppt. Many of Maine’s other PFAS advisory levels for milk, eggs, beef, crops, hay, fish or game are based on this old advisory.
State officials said they will use the new EPA standard, and the science supporting it, to inform Maine’s PFAS standards in other substances, but said it would happen over time, and that no one should expect Maine’s milk, beef and fish consumption advisories to change soon.
Maine has identified more than 600 residential wells near former sludge fields, military bases and industrial sites that test above Maine’s old PFAS limit, and that amount is likely to double under the new standard.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection could not be reached for an interview about how the new limit will be used when deciding who among those living on sludge-impacted land will have their water remediation costs covered by the state.
Many Maine municipalities will open cooling centers this week with the National Weather Service issuing a variety of heat advisories covering the next few days.
The Maine DEP also issued an air quality alert for Wednesday with ground-level ozone expected to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.
All of York County, interior Cumberland and Androscoggin counties, and the southern half of Oxford County will fall under an extreme heat warning from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday.
The warning calls for “dangerously hot conditions” that could feature heat index values of up to 110 degrees, with overnight lows only expected to fall into the 70s, according to the weather service’s office in Gray.
The rest of the state — save northern Aroostook, Piscataquis and Somerset counties — falls under a heat advisory from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. However, the weather service has also placed much of the state under an extreme heat watch for Thursday.
Heat index values, which measure how hot it feels to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature, are expected to reach up to 104 degrees during the heat advisory period, the weather service warns. They could reach 110 degrees Thursday, when the extreme heat watch is in effect.
Northern Oxford and Franklin counties, and central Somerset County, can expect a heat index value of up to 99 degrees Wednesday, according to the weather service.
The weather service advises people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms when possible, avoid extended periods in the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors. It also warns not to leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles, as “car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”
Cooling Centers
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has also issued an air quality alert from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday along the coast from Kittery to Acadia National Park. The agency warns that ground-level ozone concentrations are expected to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Ozone levels may reach “moderate levels” further inland, according to the Maine DEP, including in all of Androscoggin and Kennebec counties, as well as parts of Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington and York counties.
Elevated ozone levels can pose a risk to children, older adults and people suffering from respiratory or heart diseases, according to the Maine DEP. Anyone exerting themselves outdoors may also experience health effects, which could include coughing, shortness of breath, throat irritation and mild chest pain.
Ozone levels were already climbing in southern New England on Tuesday, according to the Maine DEP, and winds are expected to bring those conditions to Maine on Wednesday.
The Maine DEP recommends that vulnerable populations avoid strenuous outdoor activities, keep windows closed, and circulate indoor air with fans or air conditioners. Those with asthma are also advised to keep quick-relief medication handy.
Particle pollution levels are also expected to be moderate across the state on Wednesday due to wildfire smoke, the Maine DEP said in its announcement Tuesday. Wildfires in Colorado, which have claimed the lives of three firefighters, had burned nearly 90,000 acres as of Tuesday, according to the Denver Post.
Maine could face up to $50 million in penalties next year due to errors in its payments for federal food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Newly released data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture find that Maine’s error rate last year was nearly 11%, the bulk of which were overpayments. That’s in line with the U.S. average. But starting in October of next year, states with error rates above 6% must cover a portion of the SNAP benefits.
Anna Korsen, executive director of Full Plates, Full Potential, said the overpayments aren’t fraud — they’re human error. She said this new cost-shifting policy enacted last year under the Trump administration further complicates the SNAP application process.
“Instead, we could make this program more accessible and more efficient,” Korsen said. “And that would reduce the number of errors and also ensure that Mainers who are eligible for SNAP have access to it.”
She’s urging Congress to delay or reverse the policy under the farm bill that’s currently under consideration.
Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services said it’s taking steps to reduce the error rate, including modernizing its systems and hiring an additional 40 eligibility specialists.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
PORTLAND (WGME) — The third annual Celebration of America 300 is set for Thursday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.
This race was a favorite of NASCAR star Kyle Busch, who tragically passed away back in May. He was just 41.
Now, a Maine-born driver who worked on Busch’s team is ready to take the 8 car into victory lane.
For the past five years, Windham native Derek Kneeland was Busch’s eye in the sky, working as a spotter for the cup star. Kneeland says his relationship with Busch was like a brotherhood.
“I was fortunate enough where I got to have a personal relationship with him,” Kneeland said. “He came up, and he ran several races with me in late models and stuff at Oxford and Lee Speedway, and we got to do a lot of cool things together.”
Kneeland says dealing with the sudden loss has been both painful and difficult.
“It’s still hard,” Kneeland said. “I’m having a hard time with it. The weekdays are the hardest. At the track is where I’m most comfortable.”
Kneeland will be at the track and behind the wheel Thursday night, competing in the Celebration of America 300, driving the number 8 car.
“You know, a few days after everything went down, his dad called me, and his dad is a man of very few words, and I said, ‘You know, I’m thinking about running the 8 or 51 as long as I have your guys’ blessing, I would like to do that.’ And he said, ‘Short track world knows him as 51, but the world knows him as 8,’” Kneeland said.
Kneeland says it will be an emotional race, but he’s confident he’ll have a special co-pilot leading the way.
“Hoping he’s going to be on my shoulder and give me the guiding way and but to win it for Kyle, I think that would put the stamp on it,” Kneeland said.
-
Louisiana4 minutes agoLouisiana summers are getting hotter and more humid, researchers say
-
Maine11 minutes agoCooling centers to open in Maine as heat, air quality advisories take effect Wednesday
-
Maryland14 minutes agoTeen allegedly hits off-duty officer, crashes into Maryland home
-
Michigan19 minutes agoMichigan mayor’s 7-year-old nephew found dead in Menands, New York, authorities say
-
Massachusetts26 minutes agoMissing Massachusetts cat miraculously found underneath owners’ new bathtub — after disappearing for 30 hours
-
Minnesota29 minutes agoSt. Paul resident’s special connection to the Declaration of Independence
-
Mississippi34 minutes agoAmy Carruth named director of Mississippi State Hospital – SuperTalk Mississippi
-
Missouri41 minutes agoGov. Kehoe signs Missouri FY27 budget totaling $50.7B. What you need to know
