PFAS Limits of 4 Parts Per Trillion: New York Bill Awaits Gov. Hochul's Signature, Advocates Urge Her to Sign

October 20, 2026

A bill that would write tighter limits on PFAS “forever chemicals” into New York’s drinking water law is now awaiting action from Gov. Kathy Hochul, and environmental groups and state lawmakers are urging her to sign it, News 12 Long Island reported on October 19, 2026. The measure, S3207-B/A8634-B, would set maximum contaminant levels of no more than 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, according to the state Assembly’s bill record. The current state regulation is 10 parts per trillion, News 12 reported.

What the bill would do

Two limits. The bill sets levels at no higher than 4 ppt for PFOS and PFOA and no higher than 10 ppt for PFNA, PFHxS and HFPO-DA, the compound known as GenX, according to the Assembly’s bill summary.
Passed both chambers. The Assembly record shows the Senate repassed the amended bill on May 28, 2026, and the Assembly passed it on June 3, 2026. News 12 reported that the measure passed the Legislature unanimously. Sen. Brian Kavanagh is the Senate sponsor.
A 2029 deadline. If signed into law, the bill would require full compliance by 2029, News 12 reported.
Why now. When the Legislature passed the bill in June, Spectrum News reported that it came shortly after the U.S. EPA proposed to roll back federal limits on three of the other PFAS it covers. “Codifying the federal limits established in 2024 is critical to protecting New Yorkers from prolonged exposure to these harmful ‘forever chemicals,’ especially in light of the proposed federal rollbacks,” co-sponsor Sen. Rachel May said, according to Spectrum News.

What advocates and the governor’s office said

“The federal government wants to roll back the drinking water standards for us and while they step back, we need New York to step up,” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, told News 12. “Our groundwater is riddled with PFAS contamination. We need to have the lowest standards to ensure water suppliers are filtering below 4 PPT standard and we can be as protected as possible,” she said.

A spokesperson for Gov. Hochul told News 12 that “every New Yorker should be able to count on clean, safe drinking water” and that “the Governor will review the legislation.” Spectrum News reported in June that Hochul has until the end of the year to sign the bill.

Why WaterVO™ follows this

Limits like these set what water suppliers must treat for once PFAS are already in the source water. Atmospheric water generation, which we call vapor optimizing (VO), starts from a different source: it filters incoming air and condenses drinking water from humidity instead of drawing on groundwater. It takes electricity, and energy is the honest trade-off. We think that trade is worth weighing for the water you drink.

Sources

Julia Rosier, “NY lawmakers push to lower drinking water PFAS limits to 4 parts per trillion,” News 12 Long Island, October 19, 2026: longisland.news12.com
New York State Assembly, bill record for S03207-B (same as A08634-B), 2025–2026 session (read Oct. 20, 2026): assembly.state.ny.us
Emily Kenny, “New York state Legislature passes bill limiting PFAS in drinking water,” Spectrum News, June 10, 2026: spectrumlocalnews.com

Photo: Carle Place Water Tower, Carle Place, Long Island, New York, by AITFFan1 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); cropped, headline added in the featured image. Illustrative.

Keep learning

Go deeper with the water experts at Hydrology University: the PFAS guide.

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