11/4/2020
Results of PFAS Cost Impacts Study Released at First Session of the 2020 Northeast Residuals & Biosolids Conference

October 1st was the very first virtual session of the 2020 Northeast Residuals & Biosolids Conference, co-hosted by NEBRA and the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA)’s Residuals Committee, and it kicked off with – what else? – presentations mainly related to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).  The first presentation by Maddie Ledoux from CDM Smith summarized the results from their report titled Cost Analysis of the Impacts on Municipal Utilities and Biosolids Management to Address PFAS Contamination [LINK],  The study was funded by the Water Environment Federation and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies in a project managed by NEBRA.

According to the new report, average costs for managing biosolids increased 37% in states where there are stringent PFAS regulations, mainly in the Northeast but also several other areas of the country where PFAS has been a huge issue.  The data comes from detailed interviews with 29 entities involved in the generation, management and use of biosolids products. CDM Smith, which contributed significant in-kind services to the project and completed the report in about 5 months, found that the major impact was on beneficial use programs. They observed little to no impact on programs relying on landfilling and incineration as primary management methods.  The report contains 9 interesting case studies of water resource recovery facilities and businesses impacted by PFAS. 

 The report contains a chapter reviewing current PFAS removal and destruction technologies, mostly for drinking water.  However, the report describes 5 promising technologies related to PFAS removal and destruction from biosolids and wastewater matrices including vitrification and plasma-assisted sludge oxidation.  Also mentioned are four emerging technologies including foam fractionation.  Finally, this chapter provides analogies to actual costs for drinking water PFAS removal projects to estimate the per gallon costs of constructing and operating the various new process technologies for wastewater.

 It was no news to NEBRA that there have been some significant cost increases resulting from PFAS regulatory actions in the Northeast -- in Maine in particular.  In an extreme case, Presque-Isle went from land applying its Class B wastewater solids at basically no cost, to planning for upgrades to dewater and dry its sludge before trucking it to landfill [LINK: https://bangordailynews.com/2020/08/20/news/aroostook/presque-isle-wastewater-sludge-problem-to-get-multi-million-dollar-solution/].   It all started with a moratorium issued by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP) on March 22nd of 2019, prohibiting the land application of any biosolids or biosolids composts in the state.   The MEDEP subsequently established a screening limit for beneficial use of biosolids.  Preseque Isle was ordered to stop spreading its biosolids on land until it completed PFAS testing.  When the results came back over the limit, Presque Isle had to make some major changes.

Presque Isle did not have a back-up solids handling process and has spent a lot of money on solids management while developing its permanent plan for dewatering and drying its biosolids.  Taking the additional step of drying the solids will allow for possible additional management options in the future.  Presque Isle is combining these needed solids handling upgrades with capacity upgrades for this combined sewer community for a total project cost $15.6 million ($2.3 million for the solids-related upgrades).  Presque Isle was lucky to receive funding support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the form of a $6 million grant and a $9.6 million loan over 40 years.  Nonetheless, rates are going up a total of 27% over three years. 

Another, probably more typical case, is Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority (LAWPCA) which is one of the highlighted case studies in the report.  LAWPCA was the recipient of the 2014 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.  But in 2019, it got caught up in the same prohibitions that impacted Presque Isle.  According to the Cost Analysis report, LAWPA has been composting (a product called Maine Grow) and land applying their biosolids for 25 to 30 years.  

 “In 2013, LAWPCA moved to anaerobic digestion. This cut their biosolids production in half and they went to 100% land application. From 2013-2018, LAWPCA ran their composting facility essentially as a merchant facility, accepting in-state wastewater solids brokered by Casella Organics who supplied the materials for 5 years. Financially, the compost facility was breaking even. 

 “In 2019, LAWPCA went from land applying and composting 100% of their biosolids, to land applying 35%, composting 52%, and landfilling 12%. Not knowing where the PFAS issue is going, they have had conversations about abandoning land application.” 

Due to forward thinking and diversification, as well as some difficult expense cuts, LAWPCA has somehow managed to avoid major rate increases but those are surely coming.  LAWPCA Superintendent Travis Peaslee told NEBRAMail that “While we fully support investigating the impacts of the PFAS sent to our treatment facility, the decisions that have already been made impacting our economics, farmers, customers, and beneficial reuse of solids don’t appear to be factored in. We are hopeful this report proves beneficial and sheds some light on the short- and long-term impacts on our environmentally beneficial practices to the policy makers forced to navigate this difficult issue.”

The level of concern and interest in anything PFAS is reflected in the attendance at the October 1st virtual session – nearly 100 water professionals participated, by far the highest attendance for any of the five virtual conference sessions held every Thursday afternoon in October.  Also during the PFAS session, Dr. Pauler Mouser of the University of New Hampshire reported on her team’s research into the “Fate of Long Chain and Short Chain PFAS Compounds in Wastewater Treatment Facilities.”  NEWEA and NEBRA are both planning to report on that research in more detail in upcoming publications.  Other annual conference session topics included Resource Recovery, Thermal Processes, and the ever-popular Regulators Roundtable.  There were also two very successful virtual tours – one of the new biosolids dryer installation in Hookset, New Hampshire, and the other of the Woonsocket, Rhode Island, thermal conversion facility. 

Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers from NEBRA and NEWEA who made this year’s new virtual conference format a success.

See also WEF blog coverage and NACWA announcement.