Delaware state officials are claiming the nation’s first strategic framework for contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), paired with a companion plan targeting perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Unveiled by state officials late last month, the multi-agency effort builds on a decade of contamination response and draws primary funding from a multimillion-dollar legal settlement with three chemical companies.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Public Health (DHSS-DPH) and the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) announced the two documents on March 31.
Dubbed the 2026 Strategic Framework for Contaminants of Emerging Concern, it lays out a broad approach for identifying, monitoring and reducing risks from pollutants that often fall outside existing regulations. These include PFAS, microplastics, pharmaceuticals and pesticides.
The companion 2026 PFAS Implementation Plan, the first contaminant-specific plan developed under the framework, builds on nearly a decade of state action targeting PFAS contamination dating to 2016.
According to the framework, the EPA defines CECs as substances, whether naturally occurring or synthetic, that are found or anticipated in the environment and may pose risks to human health and ecosystems.
The PFAS Implementation Plan outlines state action across six broad priorities: protecting public health, assessing the sources and extent of contamination, eliminating sources and minimizing exposure, engaging affected communities, strengthening communications and outreach and ensuring emergency preparedness.
Each action item in the plan identifies the responsible state agencies, spanning DNREC, DHSS-DPH, DDA and the Department of Justice (DOJ). They also include a projected timeline and a rationale for how it was prioritized.
The state has built the PFAS plan on several years of escalating action. Delaware listed perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate as hazardous substances under the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act (HSCA) in 2016 and has continued expanding that list.
DNREC sampled the public water system statewide in 2022 and followed up with watershed-focused surface water sampling in 2024. The state reclaimed PFAS-containing firefighting foam in 2023 and the legislature enacted a law in 2025 requiring public notification when PFAS are detected in public water systems.
DHSS-DPH also organized what officials described as the nation’s first continuing medical education course on PFAS exposure in September 2025, followed by a statewide public awareness survey two months later. In 2026, the state launched community outreach grants and said a free private well testing program is expected later this year.
Most PFAS-focused actions draw funding from a trust created through the Delaware Department of Justice’s multimillion-dollar settlement with DuPont, Chemours and Corteva in 2021, according to the announcement. The framework identifies additional funding streams including the State Revolving Fund (SRF), federal dollars, HSCA funds, state appropriations and private philanthropy.
The strategic framework will be reviewed and updated every five years, with state agencies committed to publishing annual progress reports on each implementation plan. Officials also said they will hold at least one public listening session per county following the release of updated plans.
Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels
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