Tampa Bay Water outlines PFAS and TOC treatment planning while awaiting regulatory certainty

Steve Fleischicker, Water Quality Services senior manager, reviewed the regional water-quality study update and described recommended treatment options to address the EPA’s PFAS limits and to reduce naturally occurring organic carbon (TOC). Fleischicker said Tampa Bay Water continues to provide water that meets or exceeds current federal, state and local requirements and that the agency is preparing its 2025 water-quality report due April 1.

He said the EPA finalized PFAS numerical limits in 2024 and the agency’s current compliance date is April 2029, but EPA signaled possible changes: extending the compliance deadline two years for two PFAS and withdrawing limits for four others. Those intended changes remain subject to litigation, Fleischicker said, and could delay final rule implementation; a court decision is anticipated in 2026 or later. Given that uncertainty, staff recommended planning and design for PFAS treatment at identified locations but not starting construction until greater regulatory certainty exists. Interim contingency plans are also being developed to maintain compliance if necessary.

The regional water-quality study update identifies three locations where measured PFOS concentrations slightly exceeded the EPA limit and recommends PFAS treatment technologies at those locations. The update also recommends phase 1 TOC treatment at locations that align with CIP projects to capture cost savings and to generate performance data to inform phase 2 sites.

Fleischicker said staff will present CIP-based cost estimates and technical recommendations to utility directors at a workshop and then return to the board with options and budgets.