2/21/2020
PFAS Costs Impacts Survey
In October, NEBRA opened a short online survey on the costs of managing biosolids. Stakeholders nationwide were asked to complete the survey, providing estimates of costs for 2018 and 2019. The goal is to understand and track the impacts of PFAS regulation and uncertainty on actual costs as well as on perceptions and planning for biosolids management. The initial fifty responses -- from around the nation but mostly New England -- show that, so far, only relatively few programs have been impacted with measurable, real cost increases for biosolids management. These impacted programs have been forced to shift from land application to composting or landfill disposal, resulting in costs two or three times higher than before.
Besides those few highly-impacted biosolids programs, there are many more that report some price increases from 2018 to 2019 or 2020. These price increases appear to be due to the fact that, in New England especially, markets are jittery about:
the potential for PFAS regulations further restricting options and
the potential for PFAS liability to be placed on municipalities and their biosolids programs.
A large percentage of the biosolids program managers completing this NEBRA survey also report unanticipated and sometimes substantial costs for sampling and analyses for PFAS as well as staff time and effort related to tracking the PFAS issue. The NEBRA survey is not representative of the universe of water resource recovery facilities biosolids programs; those taking the survey are self-selecting and likely more impacted by PFAS issues than the nationwide average. The intent of the survey is to capture stories and evidence of changes in the biosolids management markets around the country. The survey remains open. Responses are welcome from new participants and from those who have responded before but have updates to share. Please let us know how much it costs to manage biosolids where you are and if there has been any change since 2018: NEBRA PFAS Costs Survey.