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SB138 • 2026

PFAS monitoring; DEQ to require for industrial wastewater source, publicly owned treatment works.

An Act to amend and reenact § 62.1-44.34:32 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Department of Environmental Quality; industrial wastewater; publicly owned treatment works; PFAS monitoring.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
McPike
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the exact criteria for determining which industrial facilities are required to monitor and report PFAS levels, beyond those listed in the official text.

PFAS Monitoring for Industrial Wastewater

This law requires certain industrial facilities to monitor and report PFAS levels in their wastewater to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) on a quarterly basis during an initial one-year period.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires certain new or existing industrial users of POTWs to perform and report quarterly discharge monitoring for PFAS for an initial characterization period of one year.
  • Allows POTWs to discontinue remaining quarterly monitoring by an industrial user if the results are below the method detection level for the first two quarters.
  • If an industrial user detects any amount of PFAS above the detection limit in its initial year, it must continue reporting on a quarterly basis.
  • Directs POTWs to report all received PFAS monitoring data to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) every quarter.
  • Requires POTWs to notify new industrial users about PFAS monitoring requirements within 30 days after this law takes effect.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Industrial facilities that discharge wastewater into publicly owned treatment works and are subject to specific criteria outlined in the bill.
  • Publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) receiving wastewater from these industrial facilities.
  • The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Terms To Know

PFAS
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are chemicals used in various industries.
Publicly owned treatment works (POTWs)
Facilities that treat wastewater from homes and businesses before releasing it into the environment.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what actions will be taken if an industrial user fails to comply with monitoring requirements.
  • It is unclear how much funding will be provided for implementing these new monitoring programs.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 710 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-13 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0710)

  3. 2026-03-14 Senate

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026

  4. 2026-03-14 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  5. 2026-03-12 House

    Signed by Speaker

  6. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Signed by President

  7. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Enrolled

  8. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB138ER)

  9. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB138)

  10. 2026-03-05 House

    Read third time

  11. 2026-03-05 House

    Passed House Block Vote (95-Y 0-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-03-04 House

    Read second time

  13. 2026-03-02 Appropriations

    Reported from Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)

  14. 2026-02-26 Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources

    Assigned HAPP sub: Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources

  15. 2026-02-25 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and referred to Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)

  16. 2026-02-18 House

    Placed on Calendar

  17. 2026-02-18 House

    Read first time

  18. 2026-02-18 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

  19. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  20. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Read second time

  21. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  22. 2026-02-12 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Substitute agreed to

  23. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  24. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Rules suspended

  25. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  26. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  27. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  28. 2026-02-10 Finance and Appropriations

    Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)

  29. 2026-02-10 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB138)

  30. 2026-02-04 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Committee substitute printed 26107042D-S1

  31. 2026-02-03 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)

  32. 2026-02-03 Senate

    Senate committee offered

  33. 2026-01-27 Water Usage

    Assigned HACNR sub: Water Usage

  34. 2026-01-06 Senate

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102266D

  35. 2026-01-06 Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

Official Summary Text

Department of Environmental Quality; industrial wastewater; publicly owned treatment works; PFAS monitoring.
Directs every publicly owned treatment works (POTW) to require certain new or industrial users of such POTW to perform and report to such POTW no later than 30 days after receipt from a laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for an initial characterization period of one year, provided, however, that such POTW may discontinue remaining quarterly monitoring by an industrial user with proper monitoring results that are below the method detection level for the first two quarters. If an industrial user detects PFAS in any amount above the detection method limit in its initial year of quarterly monitoring, the bill requires such industrial user to continue to perform and report to the POTW no later than 30 days after receipt from the laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for PFAS. The bill requires a POTW that receives PFAS monitoring results to report such results to the Department of Environmental Quality on a quarterly basis. Finally, the bill directs any POTW to notify an owner or operator of an industrial user subject to the monitoring requirements of the bill of the requirement to submit the initial quarterly monitoring results for PFAS within 30 days of the effective date of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 938.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
An Act to amend and reenact §
62.1-44.34:32
of the Code of Virginia, relating to Department of Environmental Quality; industrial wastewater; publicly owned treatment works; PFAS monitoring.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
62.1-44.34:32
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
62.1-44.34:32
. Monitoring of PFAS sources for PFAS assessments.
A. For the purpose of PFAS assessments required pursuant to §
62.1-44.34:30
, the Department shall require, after three months' advance notice, the owner or operator of any of the following facilities, if deemed by the Department to be a potentially significant source of PFAS in the public water system's raw water source, to perform and promptly report the results as received of representative quarterly discharge monitoring for an initial characterization period of one year, provided, however, that the Department may discontinue remaining quarterly monitoring by a facility with proper monitoring results that are below the method detection level for the first two quarters:
1. Any facility subject to self-reporting pursuant to §
62.1-44.34:31
;
2. Any facility manufacturing PFAS, any electroplating or metal finishing facility using PFAS, any semiconductor or circuit board facility using PFAS, any paper or packaging manufacturing facility using PFAS, and any textile mills, tanneries, or leather, fabric, or carpet treaters using PFAS;
3. Any other facility that the Department has a reasonable basis to believe may use or manufacture PFAS based on the facility or activity type;
4. Any centralized waste treatment industrial facility;
5. Any industrial launderers defined by NAICS 812332;
6. Any facility discharging groundwater remediation wastewaters pursuant to the VPDES General Permit Regulation for Discharges from Groundwater Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Dewatering Activities of Contaminated Sites, and Hydrostatic Tests; and
7. Any airport, air base, air station, fire training facility, landfill, or other facility or site that the Department has a reasonable basis to believe has significant soil or groundwater PFAS contamination significantly impacting finished water levels.
B.
1. Every publicly owned treatment works shall require the following new or existing industrial users of the publicly owned treatment works to perform and report to the publicly owned treatment works no later than 30 days after receipt from the laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for PFAS for an initial characterization period of one year, provided, however, that the publicly owned treatment works may discontinue remaining quarterly monitoring by an industrial user with proper monitoring results that are below the method detection level for the first two quarters:
a. Any facility manufacturing PFAS, any electroplating or metal finishing facility using PFAS, any semiconductor or circuit board facility using PFAS, any paper or packaging manufacturing facility using PFAS, and any textile mill, tannery, or leather, fabric, or carpet treater using PFAS;
b. Any centralized waste treatment industrial facility;
c. Any industrial launderer defined by NAICS 812332; and
d. Any airport, air base, air station, fire training facility, landfill, or other facility or site that the publicly owned treatment works has a reasonable basis to believe is a source of PFAS.
2. If an industrial user subject to the monitoring requirement in subdivision 1 detects PFAS in any amount above the method detection limit in its initial year of quarterly monitoring, such industrial user shall continue to perform and report to the publicly owned treatment works no later than 30 days after receipt from the laboratory the results as received of quarterly discharge monitoring for PFAS. The publicly owned treatment works may reduce the frequency of required monitoring to annually for any industrial user with proper monitoring results that are below the method detection level for at least two consecutive quarters.
3. For any new industrial user subject to the monitoring requirement in subdivision 1, the publicly owned treatment works shall require monitoring for PFAS using the applicable laboratory test method and submission of the results of such monitoring within 90 days of the commencement of such discharges to the publicly owned treatment works. The new industrial user shall report to the publicly owned treatment works no later than 30 days after receipt from the laboratory the monitoring results as received.
4. A publicly owned treatment works that receives PFAS monitoring results pursuant to this subsection shall report such information received to the Department on a quarterly basis in a format specified by the Department.
C.
For purposes of this section, using or use of PFAS (i) means intentionally using or use of PFAS or PFAS-containing substances as a product ingredient or as a production process aid or additive, such as wetting agents, fume suppressants, photoresists, etchants, cleaners, coatings, surfactants, or flame retardants, and (ii) does not mean using or use of manufacturing equipment that contains PFAS.
C.
D.
For purposes of monitoring under
subsection
subsections
A
and B
, the applicable laboratory test method is Method 1633 or such other method approved by the EPA that may be allowed by the Department. Monitoring reports shall include all PFAS analytes measured by the test method. For purposes of this section, the Department shall not require, and the facility and its laboratory shall be exempt from, environmental laboratory certification or accreditation requirements specifically for use of Method 1633.
E. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to limit the authority of the Department or the owner or operator of any publicly owned treatment works to which any user discharges wastewater to require monitoring or reporting or otherwise regulate the discharge of the PFAS target analytes or other pollutants under other applicable legal authority.
2. That any publicly owned treatment works shall notify an owner or operator of an industrial user subject to the monitoring requirement in subsection B of §
62.1-44.34:32
of the Code of Virginia, as amended by this act, that discharges pollutants into a publicly owned treatment works of the requirement to submit the initial quarterly monitoring results for PFAS pursuant to subsection B of §
62.1-44.34:32
of the Code of Virginia, as amended by this act, within 30 days of the effective date of this act.