SOURCE WATER CONTAMINATION RESOURCES

• EPA Researchers Explore Technology To Destroy PFAS

  Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, are a large group of human-made organic compounds with properties that make many of them toxic and persistent in the environment. PFAS have been manufactured and used since the 1940s in items such as fire-fighting foams, adhesives, cosmetics, paper products, and stain and water repellants. Until now, researchers have been unable to destroy PFAS in a way that has potential for larger scale use. 

• A New Perspective On Funding Nonpoint-Source-Pollution Solutions

  While municipal wastewater treatment facilities fight hard to keep waterways clean, other (“nonpoint”) sources contribute greatly to environmental pollution. But there is funding, and now guidance, available to help solve the problem.

• In 2022, Water Quality Gets The Attention It’s Due

  With the funding brought forth by the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed late last year, as well as aggressive policies and regulation to rid water supplies of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lead, 2022 shapes up as the year we finally address our industry’s most troubling and challenging contamination issues in a meaningful way.

• How To Truly Eradicate PFAS From Our Drinking Water

  As so-called “forever chemicals” get more attention from regulators and the public at large, the pressure is on to eliminate these pervasive contaminants — forever.

• Treating Deep Aquifer Contamination With Phytoremediation

  EPA’s Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites. Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. Superfund sites often have contaminated groundwater in aquifers hundreds of feet below land surface. Deep groundwater contamination can be the result of actions like improper waste disposal or large fluctuations of the water table.

• Plastic Trash In The Ocean Is A Global Problem, And The U.S. Is The Top Source

  Plastic waste of all shapes and sizes permeates the world’s oceans. It shows up on beaches, in fish and even in Arctic sea ice. And a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes clear that the U.S. is a big part of the problem. As the report shows, the U.S. produces a large share of the global supply of plastic resin — the precursor material to all plastic industrial and consumer products. It also imports and exports billions of dollars’ worth of plastic products every year.

• State AG Enforcement As EPA Finds PFAS More Toxic Than Previously Thought

  According to a new study conducted by the U.S. EPA, “forever chemicals” are far more harmful than previously believed.

• Sewage Pollution: Our Research Reveals The Scale Of England’s Growing Problem

  The UK has around 1,500 individual river systems, totaling over 200,000 km, or roughly 124,274 miles, in length. It’s common for sewers here to accept both untreated human waste and rain water in a combined system. Water and sewerage companies are permitted to release this wastewater into inland and coastal waters without treatment under exceptional conditions, such as following heavy rainfall.

• Extreme Weather, Droughts, And The Impact On Our Water Supply

  Drinking water is obviously affected by the persistent drought plaguing the U.S. — but not just in terms of its supply. Learn the other effects, including degraded water quality, and how to combat them.

• Addressing Challenges Of PFAS: Protecting Groundwater And Treating Contaminated Sources

  Groundwater is a vital resource across the United States and throughout the world. Over 50 percent of people in the United States depend on groundwater for safe drinking water. Groundwater is also one of our most important sources of water for irrigation and food production.