PFAS Wellhead Treatment Considerations - Intersection of Water Supply with Plume Remediation

Emerging contaminants present a unique challenge to municipal drinking water supplies due to evolving regulations, permitting challenges, and participation of multiple and diverse stakeholders. An engineering case study shows how some of these concerns were addressed during the implementation of a potable water wellhead treatment system for a long chain perfluoroalkyl acid. Initial feasibility studies evaluated alternatives, including relocating municipal wells, blending impacted water with water from non-impacted wells, well modifications, and wellhead treatment. Ultimately, wellhead treatment was selected and implemented. Challenges included adapting to evolving performance targets, addressing uncertainty in handling waste streams, and balancing competing interests from participating parties. Cooperation of all parties resulted in the installation and acceptance of an optimized system that is providing potable water meeting all regulatory criteria. Moving beyond this case study, the evaluation, design and installation of GAC and ion exchange PFAS potable water treatment systems will be discussed, including operations lessons-learned. Other topics will include increasing regulation of a broader suite of PFAS compounds and implications for treatment system design from a water supply perspective, and combined wellhead potable water treatment and PFAS groundwater remediation strategies to address PFAS plumes from a responsible party perspective.