Missouri-based engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company, Black & Veatch, has been selected by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) to develop a PFAS Piloting Guidance Manual to help accelerate treatment projects across the U.S.
An estimated 6 – 10% of the country’s 66,000 public drinking water systems must comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water standard for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by April 26, 2029.
The limit for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is 4 parts per trillion, or nanograms per litre, the lowest concentration most laboratories can reliably detect. For PFNA, PFHxS, and “GenX Chemicals”, the EPA set its maximum contaminant level at 10 parts per trillion.
Black & Veatch announced that its guidance document — expected in early 2025 — will provide minimum requirements and best practices for water utilities, regulators and engineers to “build common understanding” within the drinking water community, and accelerate PFAS treatment projects.
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“This project is critically important to equip our industry with the information they need to make informed decisions about PFAS treatment projects in a timely manner,” announced Amanda Canida, senior water process engineer and lead on the project for Black & Veatch. “PFAS treatment projects are of paramount importance to protecting the health and safety of communities, and with tight timelines, water utilities can’t afford unnecessary delays in the process.”
Black & Veatch states that design, bidding and construction timelines for PFAS treatment projects frequently require in-excess of three years, leaving utilities “a short window” to implement a treatment option. The PFAS Piloting Guidance Manual aims to create “industry consensus” and match piloting requirements to the complexity and novelty of proposed treatment.
Some of the many treatment options currently available for PFAS water treatment include nanofiltration or reverse osmosis, anion exchange treatment or resins, and granular activated carbon.
Black & Veatch also worked with AWWA in 2021 to determine the true cost of pending PFAS regulations for U.S. drinking water systems. Combined with costs of operations and maintenance, the annualized cost was estimated in summer 2024 to be between $2.7 – $3.5 billion.
