6/10/2020
NEBRA Collaborating on PFAS Projects

NEBRA has been collaborating with several like-minded organizations to address our members specific requests for assistance related to PFAS. In particular, members expressed the need for help in communicating with their customers and elected officials about PFAS and for information about the cost impacts of PFAS regulations on managing wastewater and biosolids.

In early February, NEBRA began to work with the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA)’s Government Affairs, Residuals, and Contaminants of Emerging Concern Committees on a public awareness and action campaign. The resulting messages – in the form of posters, one-pagers and bill stuffers -- stress the need for science-based solutions. According to Mary Barry, executive director of NEWEA, the materials are intended to “start a conversation about PFAS” between the public and clean water professionals. The campaign uses clear, concise language and imagery to convey that PFAS are present in many products we use every day and research and collaboration are needed to understand its presence, effects, opportunities for mitigation, and steps needed to protect public health. NEWEA and NEBRA will be rolling out the campaign to their members very soon. There are suggested donations, quite reasonable, to access and use the materials. The bill stuffers and one-pager have the option to customize the text and add a partner logo.

The other project NEBRA is join forces on is a study of the cost impacts on utilities in states where public and legislative actions have impacted biosolids management methods. This project, which came out of discussions in the national PFAS “Receivers Group” as well as in NEBRA/NEWEA meetings on PFAS, is a collaboration with the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). NACWA and WEF are contributing financially while NEBRA is contributing in-kind services and managing the project. Following a Request for Proposals issued at the end of March, NEBRA received four (4) very strong proposals. The project team ultimately selected CDMSmith which offered a large and knowledgeable team along with matching the $20,000 project budget with in-kind services. The CDMSmith team is off and running, reaching out to clean water facilities mostly – but not entirely – located in New England. They will be collecting data about the cost and non-cost impacts that PFAS regulations are having on individual utilities. The project deliverables include a half a dozen or so in-depth case studies along with a detailed written report and fact sheets. The materials are intended to be used for advocacy purposes by NACWA and WEF and their members, many of which are members of NEWEA and NEBRA. If you are contacted by CDMSmith, please assist them as much as you can.