Environmental Attorney and EMC Member Robin Smith said she has been looking forward to the commission making the decision to send draft water quality standards for PFAS out to public notice.

"The commission did that at this meeting with respect to some groundwater standards for three PFAS substances but did not take any action on the surface water standards for PFAS substances," Smith said.

She said a number of studies have linked different PFAS substances to health effects ranging from liver damage to increased risk of certain types of cancer.

"The concern is largely about having levels of PFAS substances in drinking water that may be unhealthy for the people drinking that water," she said.

Executive Director of Cape Fear River Watch Dana Sargent said she attended the EMC meetings. Several EMC members said the NCDEQ was not providing them the information they need to move surface water standards, she said.

"The DEQ has repeatedly provided them answers to every single question they've asked, [it's] just that they don't like the answers. So that's false," she said.

Sargent said that because the EMC is moving forward with regulating more standards for three PFAS, they will find additional PFAS in their sampling tests.