The NSW EPA position statement on the PFAS NEMP

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) supports and uses the Commonwealth PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (PFAS NEMP).

The PFAS NEMP provides a framework for the environmental management of PFAS-contaminated materials and sites. The PFAS NEMP provides guidance for assessing the impacts of PFAS on human health and the environment, rather than providing strict limits for regulation and compliance.

The PFAS NEMP is periodically updated to reflect new scientific evidence and guidance. The EPA implements updates in a staged, risk-based way.

A summary of key updates is provided below. For full details, refer to the Australian Government website.

What has changed in PFAS NEMP 3.1

Key changes include:

• updated guideline values from the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG), released by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in June 2025
• updated ecological guidelines values for PFOS in freshwater, from the Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG), released in March 2026
• interim application of the ecological guideline values for PFOS in freshwater to marine waters
• biota screening thresholds for PFOS in water.

Information for risk assessors on the application of the NHMRC Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) values and the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) TDIs is provided on the Australian Government website.

EPA position on PFOS biota screening thresholds in water

The PFAS NEMP 3.1 incorporates the ANZG’s freshwater biota screening threshold for PFOS of 0.0005 µg/L. Exceedance of this threshold indicates a need for biota sampling to assess whether PFOS is accumulating in aquatic food webs, particularly where fish or macroinvertebrates may be consumed by mammals and birds. The EPA recognises that the biota screening threshold is a trigger intended to protect wildlife from PFOS bioaccumulation and biomagnification.

Application of this trigger for biota sampling should consider the site-specific context and the presence of relevant receptors and exposure pathways. The EPA does not expect routine or widespread biota sampling in all cases of exceedance. This approach is intended to avoid unnecessary ecological disturbance, including impacts on aquatic fauna populations, while still ensuring that risks to wildlife are appropriately assessed and managed.

PFAS and biosolids

The PFAS NEMP includes guidance for PFAS in recovered wastes and includes guideline values for PFAS in biosolids that are applied to land. The EPA is working to incorporate these guidelines within the existing biosolids management framework.

The EPA intends to include PFAS regulatory thresholds for the land application of biosolids, as well as require biosolids management and testing requirements that align with the PFAS NEMP.

The EPA has undertaken broad consultation on these changes and continues to engage with key stakeholders as we progress to implementation.

PFAS in landfill leachate and wastewater

The PFAS NEMP provides guidance on the monitoring of PFAS in wastewater and waste streams including leachate.

As part of the implementation of the PFAS NEMP the EPA has gazetted the Landfill and Sewage Treatment Plant PFAS Monitoring Chemical Control Order (CCO) requiring all licensed landfills and sewage treatment plants to monitor PFAS in their discharges to the environment.

The CCO will come into force on 1 October 2026 and will require licensed landfills to monitor PFAS in both leachate and groundwater (or surface water) and licensed sewage treatment plants to monitor for PFAS in treated effluent discharges to the environment.

Data obtained will inform the need for further assessment of potential risks as part of the NSW PFAS Investigation Program. 

Reporting obligations for PFAS under the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997

In general, the presence of PFAS does not mean that a site must be notified to the EPA under section 60 of the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 (CLM Act).

The duty to report is not intended to capture the notification of widespread diffuse urban pollution that cannot be attributed to a specific industrial, commercial or agricultural activity or land use. For further information regarding situations not intended to be captured by the duty to report, please refer to section 2.5 of the Guidelines on the Duty to Report contamination under the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 (PDF 498KB).

The EPA leads the NSW Government program to investigate sites where the greatest use of PFAS containing products has taken place and where there is potential for environmental contamination. The program has focused on airports, firefighting training facilities and some industrial sites. 

There is no need for sites already known to the EPA under the PFAS Investigation Program to be reported to the EPA