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A new law in Illinois requires stricter monitoring of PFAS in wastewater discharges.
Congress is also considering rules that would make chemical manufacturers responsible for the cost of cleaning up PFAS in wastewater treatment plants.
The decision came days after the federal Environmental Protection Agency proposed reinstating limits for certain PFAS compounds in drinking water.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers last week passed new legislation establishing stricter requirements for monitoring per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (better known as PFAS “permanent chemicals”) in wastewater discharges from major facilities in the state.
The decisive 64-34 House vote came days after the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed lifting limits for certain toxic PFAS compounds in drinking water, a decision that was quickly rejected by environmental advocates and the Illinois EPA.
“Regardless of the federal government’s actions, our commitment to addressing PFAS contamination and protecting drinking water resources remains the same,” Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Administrator James Jennings said in a statement.
Improper disposal of PFAS-contaminated waste often causes seepage into aquifers and surface waters, which can have negative effects on human health. Studies have shown that exposure to PFAS is associated with increased cholesterol levels, increased blood pressure, developmental delays in children, and an increased risk of kidney, liver, and testicular cancer.
Local monitoring increased after a statewide inspection last year found PFAS levels exceeding state groundwater standards in 47 community water systems serving about 440,000 people. Public health notifications were then sent to 10 additional communities (serving approximately 78,000 people). These communities rely on emergency water systems. To date in 2026, groundwater contamination notices have been issued for four additional communities in Illinois.
The new state law targets some of the biggest sources of PFAS: treatment facilities and industrial facilities with permits issued under the federal Clean Water Act to discharge the pollutants. The law requires these facilities to continually sample PFAS in wastewater, biosolids, and sewage sludge. These latter two substances are routinely used as fertilizers throughout the state, even though they have the potential to contaminate millions of acres of farmland with “forever chemicals.”
“Our communities, our farms, and our water supplies deserve transparency and accountability,” Democratic state Sen. Laura Fine, the bill’s lead sponsor, said in a statement last month. “This bill would permanently put Illinois on the front lines of chemical monitoring, preventing contamination before it becomes a crisis.”
The bill would require large facilities that may emit PFAS to submit detailed sampling data before receiving a new or renewal permit, but the law’s language allows states to extend the deadline at their discretion.
The bill would create a more comprehensive statewide PFAS tracking system, but critics say it has been plagued by inconsistent data collection.
“PFAS contamination is not just a problem of the future, it is impacting communities today,” Fine said. “This action will ensure we have the tools to track these chemicals and take meaningful action to protect public health and the environment.”
Meanwhile, the state Legislature is running out of time to pass legislation that would be the state’s most decisive action yet to hold polluters accountable for remediating PFAS.
House Bill 2955, introduced last February, seeks to make chemical manufacturers, rather than wastewater agencies or their customers, responsible for the responsibilities and costs associated with monitoring, mitigating, and removing PFAS from municipal water treatment plants.
The bill, led by the newly created PFAS Wastewater National Protection Commission, seeks to resolve the dispute over who should pay to clean up PFAS from already over-limited water systems by holding companies that produce the chemicals accountable.
“If a sewer agency is required to treat wastewater for PFAS in the future, that treatment will incur significant operating and capital costs that must be recovered by taxpayers and customers,” the bill says. “PFAS manufacturers should be held accountable for all liability and costs…”
Chemical cleaning is an expensive proposition. The cost to remove and destroy one pound of PFAS from a municipal wastewater treatment plant can range from $2.7 million to $18 million, depending on its size. Under Illinois drinking water regulations adopted in January, local water systems will have to comply with the state’s PFAS limits starting in 2029. The bill would ease the financial burden of meeting that deadline.
HB 2955 passed the House on a 75-40 vote last year, but has been stalled in the Senate for 13 months. There are only a few days left until the General Assembly’s target date of adjournment on May 31st, and any subsequent vote will require a super-majority of three-fifths.
“The Illinois General Assembly should establish a producer responsibility policy that holds manufacturers accountable for dealing with the consequences of their products becoming waste,” said a report released last week by the Illinois Center for Environmental Research and Education.
In its report, the center found that 100 percent of the 31 rivers, lakes and streams monitored across Illinois contain microplastics. Microplastics are a different type of pollutant than PFAS, but they are equally prevalent and harmful to the environment and human health.
Header image: Illinois farmland, photographed in 2010 © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
