— EPA PFAS POLICY • FLORIDA CONTEXT

EPA withdrew PFAS wastewater-permit guidance. What changes in Florida?

By Jose Linan · Published September 19, 2026

EPA's Office of Water rescinded a 2022 memo that recommended ways permit writers could monitor and limit PFAS in industrial wastewater discharges. The change matters to Florida's pollution-control work, but it is not a new Florida contamination finding and does not repeal federal PFAS drinking-water standards.

What did EPA withdraw?

An August 11 Office of Water memo rescinded several guidance documents after an internal review. One was EPA's December 2022 memo titled Addressing PFAS Discharges in NPDES Permits and Through the Pretreatment Program and Monitoring Programs.

The 2022 memo recommended PFAS monitoring, best management practices, technology-based limits and information sharing when regulators wrote certain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. EPA's 2026 review said the guidance had caused confusion and inconsistent application across states.

EPA also stressed that guidance documents are not legally binding. Rescinding this memo removes the agency's recommended framework; it does not erase a statute, regulation or permit condition already supported by separate authority.

Why does this have a Florida angle?

Florida Department of Environmental Protection operates NPDES programs that regulate point-source discharges, including industrial, construction and municipal stormwater. Florida permit writers therefore used the same federal-state Clean Water Act framework addressed by the withdrawn memo.

The practical change is at the pollution-control and permitting stage. Florida regulators no longer have that 2022 EPA document as the current federal PFAS-specific recommendation when deciding what monitoring, best practices or discharge controls are appropriate. Florida may still use existing legal authority and state-specific evidence when writing or enforcing permits.

Does this change EPA's PFAS drinking-water limits?

No. The withdrawn memo addressed discharge permitting under the Clean Water Act. National drinking-water standards are handled under the separate Safe Drinking Water Act.

EPA's current drinking-water rule and its 2026 proposed amendments follow their own rulemaking and court processes. A change to wastewater guidance should not be described as a repeal of the PFOA or PFOS drinking-water limits.

What does it mean for Florida homeowners?

There is no new household instruction from this action alone. Residents should continue using the official report and active notices for the utility that serves their address. A public-system report, a wastewater permit and a certified sample from one home answer different questions.

If a specific PFAS concern exists, use a laboratory method designed for drinking water and verify treatment claims against the exact certified model and contaminant reduction. Boiling does not remove PFAS.

What should be watched next?

EPA's August memo says the Office of Water will consider whether replacement guidance is needed. The material next steps are a replacement federal document, a Florida permitting policy that fills the gap, or a permit decision showing how regulators will handle PFAS without the 2022 recommendations.

The bottom line

EPA has removed a federal PFAS playbook from the wastewater-permitting process. That can affect how consistently industrial sources are monitored and controlled, including in Florida, but it does not establish that Florida tap water is contaminated or change what any resident should do today.

Follow the separate court challenge to EPA's PFAS drinking-water rule →

See the confirmed Tallahassee and Woodville PFAS findings →

Find the official water report for your address →