Statewide PFAS Study Informs Regulatory Decisions on Wastewater and Biosolids Management
Comprehensive sampling and forensic analysis are guiding best practices for PFAS management in wastewater and biosolids statewide.
Project: Statewide PFAS Investigation, State Agency
Objectives:
- Determine PFAS levels in wastewater effluent and biosolids and resultant impact on soil and groundwater
Services: Biosolids sampling; Soil sampling; Wastewater sampling; Groundwater sampling
Applied Science/Technologies: Evaluation of temporal, spatial, and demographic variability in PFAS levels in sampled media; Forensic evaluation of probable PFAS sources
Integral staff are supporting a state regulatory agency’s study of PFAS in Biosolids and Wastewater. The goal of this study was to evaluate levels of a wide range of PFAS, including legacy PFAS precursors within biosolids and resultant impacts to soils and groundwater. Additional efforts have evaluated the levels of PFAS compounds in domestic septage, municipal wastewater, and the potential impacts on surface water quality.
Our services include sample collection at multiple sites and matrices associated with the wastewater treatment process. The study includes the quarterly sampling of biosolids, wastewater influent/effluent, and groundwater sampling at wastewater treatment and disposal facilities. Additional samples were collected for study of the vertical distribution of PFAS in soils at biosolids and wastewater land application fields. Our team also collected samples from specifically selected residential septic tank “pump-outs” representative of diverse communities.
Our team is analyzing PFAS detections in the various matrices and will be providing the agency with conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of the comprehensive PFAS study. In the absence of current federal regulation, these findings will be used to evaluate best practices for managing biosolids and wastewater disposal so as to minimize the potential for human health and ecological impacts.