Source Reduction
Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance and Technology (OTA) provides free and confidential pollution prevention assistance to manufacturers. For more information about OTA, visit their webpage.
OTA can provide technical assistance to reduce PFAS sources at manufacturing facilities. Visit OTA’s PFAS webpage for resources to help decrease PFAS at your facility. You can also contact OTA staff directly with questions.
Some helpful OTA links are listed below:
PFAS for Surface Water Dischargers
PFAS testing is being added to most National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Surface Water Discharge (SWD) permits upon renewal, including for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) and industrial facilities discharging directly to surface water. For POTWs, this includes PFAS testing at the facility and annual PFAS testing of certain industrial discharges into the treatment plant. For industrial treatment plants, this includes PFAS testing at the facility.
Information related to testing for PFAS in wastewater treatment facilities can be found here: Testing of PFAS in Wastewater and Residuals | Mass.gov. Because there is currently no EPA-approved final testing method for PFAS in wastewater, MassDEP has been reviewing and approving laboratories’ modified testing procedures. This website has a list of approved laboratories and information regarding the approval process for modified laboratory procedures. The results of PFAS testing from wastewater treatment plants, industries, and residuals (sludge for land application) is uploaded directly by approved laboratories. This data is located at the following portal: Energy & Environmental Affairs Data Portal (state.ma.us)
PFAS for Indirect Dischargers
PFAS testing for indirect dischargers to POTWs is being added to NPDES and SWD permits upon renewal. New EPA NPDES permits require PFAS testing for specific categories of industries, and new Massachusetts Surface Water Discharge permits require PFAS testing for Significant Industrial Users (SIUs).
EPA has a webpage with the current Effluent Limit Guidelines Program, including information on an EPA study of PFAS users in five different categories of industries in 2021.