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A new bill by a Tri-Valley state senator aims to create a special fund to help clean up so-called “forever chemicals” in California’s water supply.
Senate Bill 454 was introduced by Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) on Feb. 18 and, if passed by the State Legislature and signed by the governor, would create the “PFAS Mitigation Fund”.
The fund would be managed by the State Water Resources Control Board and be used by drinking water agencies and other local jurisdictions to help remove the widespread toxic chemicals from water supplies.
It is co-sponsored by the League of California Cities and the Association of California Water Agencies.
“California has banned PFAS in consumer products ranging from food packaging and cosmetics to children’s cribs and playpens. But PFAS has been used in thousands of products during the past eight decades, so forever chemicals have contaminated a substantial portion of our drinking water,” McNerney said. “SB 454 would create a much-needed funding tool to help local agencies pay for PFAS cleanup, while also helping protect ratepayers from higher costs.”
The bill doesn’t earmark or identify state funding sources but does authorize the Water Board to seek state, federal and private dollars for the fund, which could provide water suppliers and wastewater system operators with grants or loans.
If signed into law, SB 454 would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
PFAS, chemicals containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, linger in the environment for hundreds of thousands of years, according to environmental health experts.
In April 2024, the Water Board announced it was expanding testing for PFAS chemicals to 4,000 wells in some of the poorest communities in California.
Also, over the past five years, it has tested and collected data on about 3,000 wells from community water systems near industries associated with PFAS use, including near airports, landfills and industrial corridors.
— Story by Kiley Russell, Bay City News Service
