Water Resources

• PFAS Research

• Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pervasive in the environment. In response, federal and state governments have begun to develop and enact laws and regulations to address PFAS contamination. May states across the country have taken regulatory steps concerning PFAS. However, these state regulatory programs are inconsistent. In order to knowledge regarding PFAS regulations, the National Sea Grant Law Center is conducting research to compile state laws and regulations addressing PFAS contamination, undertaking a comparative analysis of the compiled laws, and developing a series of case studies exploring discrete policy challenges.

  PFAS Policy and Litigation: Key Developments in the Southeast
  State actions to address PFAS many take different forms, including legislation, regulation, agency guidance, research, and litigation. What actions a state chooses often varies by region. This report examines the policymaking approaches, agency actions, and key litigation in the Southeast region.

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  The Aqueous Film-Forming Products Liability Multidistrict Litigation: The Basics
  Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) is a type of federal proceeding used to ensure judicial efficacy in federal courts. This report discusses what an MDL is, how the AFFF MDL was formed, and the current state of the AFFF MDL—drawing from examples of ongoing MDL lawsuits to recent settlements.

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  An Overview of North Carolina’s Chemours Consent Order
  In February 2019, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and Cape Fear River Water settled litigation with Chemours through a Consent Order. This report outlines how the Chemours Consent Order came to be, the terms of the agreement, and its current state of success.

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• Sea Grant Water Resources Network Webinar Series

• The Sea Grant Water Resources Network organizes a webinar series to highlight innovative research, outreach, and education activities of the National Sea Grant Network. Past webinars can be found on the NSGLC’s YouTube page.

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• Water Law Fact Sheet Series

  The NSGLC developed a set of fact sheets to provide outreach information on legal water related topics that may be of interest to Sea Grant and other stakeholders.

  Download the Overview of Groundwater Regulation Fact Sheet

  Download the Overview of Riparian Water Rights Fact Sheet

  Download the Overview of Prior Appropriation Water Rights Fact Sheet

  Download the Overview of the Public Trust Doctrine Fact Sheet

  Download the Federal Reserved Water Rights Fact Sheet