PFAS RESOURCES

• New Method Turns Harmful Environmental Waste Into Useful Synthetic Reagent

  9/11/2026

  Fluorinated waste, like that found in firefighting aqueous film-forming foam, can act as a significant environmental pollutant. Recently, James Tour’s lab at Rice University developed a method to capture the fluoride from these waste streams and recycle it into a useful reagent, silver fluoride, that could be used in other manufacturing processes. This process was recently published in Nature Chemical Engineering.

• What Utilities Don't Know About GAC Reuse For PFAS

  9/9/2026

  For utilities building PFAS treatment systems, thermal reactivation of spent granular activated carbon (GAC) may sound like the obvious answer. However, service provider availability and location, specific media acceptance criteria including quantity thresholds, restrictions on GAC type and condition, and regulatory uncertainty can all determine whether reuse is a viable option. 

• The Cost Of Waiting: Utilities Face A Narrowing PFAS Compliance Window

  9/4/2026

  For years, the water industry's PFAS conversation centered on monitoring, testing, and regulatory anticipation. Today, that phase is largely over.
• PFAS Funding Is Flowing — But Does The Water Sector Have Enough People To Deliver It?

  9/4/2026

  For several years, the PFAS conversation has centered on treatment options, testing, and funding. Those factors still matter, but they are no longer the primary constraint. Most utilities already understand the treatment routes available to them; the real challenge now is moving from technical possibility to operational performance, and that depends entirely on people.

• $7.9 Million NSF Investment Brings Vermont Researchers Together To Address 'Forever Chemical' Contamination

  9/2/2026

  The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded $7.9 million to establish the PFAS Environmental Research Network (PERN), a four-year initiative bringing together Vermont researchers, educators, students, and state partners to better understand and address environmental chemical contamination.

• EPA Releases Final UCMR 5 Drinking Water Data For PFAS And Lithium

  9/2/2026

  On August 27, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the final set of national drinking water data collected under the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) for 30 chemical contaminants: 29 PFAS plus lithium. The data collected under UCMR 5 improves understanding of the prevalence and amount of 29 PFAS and lithium in the nation’s drinking water systems.

• Emerging Contaminants Follow Distinct Rules When Partitioning Between Sediment And Water, Study Finds

  8/26/2026

  For decades, environmental scientists have struggled to predict where emerging contaminants end up in rivers—whether they linger in sediments or remain mobile in the water. That uncertainty has made risk assessment difficult and management decisions unreliable.

• D.C. Circuit Upholds EPA's Hazardous Substance Designation For PFOA, PFOS

  8/24/2026

  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently rejected industry challenges to the EPA's designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, leaving the agency's April 2024 rule fully intact. While the case centered on the EPA's authority to make the designation, its practical significance for water utilities is simpler: the liability concerns that have accompanied the rule since its adoption remain unresolved.

• AWWA Issues Statement Following Court Decision On PFAS And CERCLA

  8/18/2026

  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today upheld EPA’s designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. The American Water Works Association, which was not part of the litigation, issued the following statement.

• How Insects Could Help Detect PFAS Contamination

  8/17/2026

  Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered that neurons in a locust’s brain can distinguish among multiple PFAS compounds, including PFOS, one of the world’s most common “forever chemicals,” at environmentally relevant concentrations.