House Bill 1110 would create a new state framework for regulating PFAS chemicals in Indiana. It directs the Department of Environmental Management to establish drinking water maximum contaminant levels and wastewater effluent limitation standards for PFAS by July 1, 2027, then incorporate those standards into NPDES permits and POTW oversight beginning July 1, 2029. The bill defines key terms such as direct dischargers, indirect dischargers, PFAS chemicals, maximum contaminant levels, and waters of the state for purposes of the new chapter.
The bill also imposes monitoring, reporting, and compliance duties on industrial dischargers. Direct dischargers and indirect dischargers must monitor PFAS in wastewater, submit monthly reports to the department and the U.S. EPA, and meet the state standards by July 1, 2029. If they exceed the limits, they must develop corrective action plans and pollutant minimization programs, and the department may publish violators’ monitoring results. Civil penalties can reach $25,000 per day, with a separate penalty of up to $500,000 for continuous violations lasting four months, and the penalties are deposited into a new PFAS chemical testing and remediation fund.
HB 1110 would also establish that fund and a related grant program. The fund could support filtration and purification projects, testing of wells and biosoils for tenants or landlords, and remediation and blood testing after extreme PFAS exposure events. The department would administer the fund, which would be financed by appropriations, gifts, grants, donations, and civil penalties, and unused balances would not revert to the general fund. By July 1, 2029, the department would also create a grant program for water utilities, volunteer fire departments, and individuals testing for PFAS contamination.
The bill’s impact on state law would be significant because it adds a new chapter to Indiana environmental law and expands IDEM’s authority over PFAS in drinking water and wastewater. It would create new compliance obligations for industrial facilities, wastewater treatment systems, public water-related entities, and potentially private parties through a new private right of action against violators. It also ties Indiana standards to federal Safe Drinking Water Act benchmarks and federal Clean Water Act permitting, while limiting the department’s ability to set less protective drinking water standards than the 2024 federal levels.
Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, the general sentiment cannot be measured from legislative debate or roll calls. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears strongly protective of public health and environmental quality, but it also places substantial regulatory and financial burdens on PFAS dischargers and wastewater operators. Likely points of contention include the cost of compliance, the scope of monitoring and reporting requirements, the size of civil penalties, the private right of action, and whether the state should adopt standards that may be more stringent than current practice.
HB 1110 would amend Indiana environmental law by creating a new PFAS regulation chapter in Title 13 and adding multiple statutory definitions that govern drinking water, wastewater discharges, and NPDES permitting. It would require IDEM to set PFAS drinking water and wastewater standards, enforce them through permit conditions and POTW controls, and establish a new remediation fund and grant program. The bill would directly affect industrial direct dischargers, indirect dischargers, public water systems, wastewater utilities, volunteer fire departments, tenants, landlords, and individuals seeking PFAS testing or remediation assistance.
No committee discussion or vote history was provided, so there is no recorded legislative sentiment to summarize from debate or roll calls. From the bill text, the measure reads as a public-health and environmental protection bill aimed at addressing PFAS contamination, with a regulatory approach that is likely to be viewed favorably by environmental and community advocates. At the same time, regulated industries and wastewater operators may view it as burdensome because it imposes new monitoring, reporting, treatment, penalty, and litigation exposure requirements.
The main points of contention are likely to be the breadth and cost of compliance for direct and indirect dischargers, the requirement for monthly PFAS reporting, and the timeline for meeting standards by 2029. Regulated entities may also object to the civil penalties, the publication of violators’ monitoring results, and the private right of action, while supporters are likely to emphasize public health protection, contamination cleanup, and assistance for affected communities. Another likely issue is whether the department should be constrained from setting drinking water standards above federal 2024 levels, except for newly identified PFAS chemicals.