Pre-Rinsed Vessel Swaps And Packaged Skids Simplify PFAS Treatment For Small Well Sites

Meeting new PFAS drinking water standards poses unique challenges for utilities with small well sites. Many of these systems operate with limited storage capacity, no redundant supply sources, and constrained budgets — making downtime or complicated media changeouts especially disruptive. Sentinel Water Solutions has designed a portfolio of solutions tailored to the realities of small-site operators, emphasizing speed, simplicity, and sustainability.

Full Vessel Swaps With Pre-Rinsed Media

Traditional GAC and ion exchange media changeouts often require heavy machinery, onsite media transfer equipment, and wastewater handling capacity for backwash and rinse water. For smaller utilities, this can be costly, disruptive, and sometimes infeasible.

Sentinel offers pre-filled, pre-rinsed vessels to minimize system downtime. Once a vessel is exhausted, it is swapped out in full — minimizing the need for large trucks and onsite carbon transfer equipment. This approach:

• Reduces traffic and heavy machinery in residential areas and space-constrained sites.
• Reduces the need for sewer connections and temporary wastewater storage.
• Cuts downtime, a critical factor for systems without redundancy.

Packaged “Plug-and-Play” Systems

For operators facing new compliance deadlines, Sentinel provides modular treatment skids and containerized systems that can be dropped in place, connected quickly, and brought online without extended construction schedules. These packaged units are pre-engineered with controls, pumps, and treatment vessels — simplifying site preparation and ensuring predictable startup performance.

Custom Solutions To Fit Utility Needs

No two small systems are alike, and Sentinel works to maximize the value of existing infrastructure wherever possible. In one example, Sentinel installed four short vessels inside an existing building rather than forcing the utility to construct a costly new structure for two taller vessels. 

For sites with wide variations between permitted maximum and actual minimum flows, Sentinel also provides multi-train vessel systems. This configuration ensures efficient PFAS treatment at both low and high flow conditions, giving operators flexibility without oversizing equipment.

For sites with elevated PFAS concentrations, Sentinel often recommends a roughing filter approach to maximize media life by ensuring the mass transfer zone (MTZ) progresses through the lead vessel prior to disposal or reactivation. 

Reactivation and Stock Management

Sentinel’s exclusive partnership with DESOTEC enables utilities to benefit from NSF-certified GAC reactivation and stock management programs. This ensures continuity of supply, reduces landfill / incineration disposal, and lowers total lifecycle cost.

Leasing and “As a Service” Options

Recognizing that many small systems are awaiting state or federal grant funding, Sentinel also makes its systems available on a lease or service basis. This allows utilities to move forward with PFAS compliance immediately, without large upfront capital expenditures, while still positioning for long-term ownership when funding becomes available.

Delivering Practical Compliance For Small Sites

Sentinel’s small-site solutions are designed to match the operational realities of resource-limited systems. By combining pre-rinsed vessel swaps, modular packaged units, custom space-optimized designs, sustainable reactivation, and flexible service models, Sentinel helps ensure that small communities can meet PFAS standards without unnecessary cost, complexity, or disruption.