Top: Application of dewatered biosolids to Douglas fir in Washington State. Photo courtesy of Chuck Henry

Seven biosolids organizations around the country created “National Communications Guidance” documents focusing on PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and biosolids management to help their members and the biosolids community in their work and communications within the locales they serve. “The biosolids community shares in the deep frustration and distress over the discovery that PFAS have been introduced into consumer products, water, and wastewater systems for decades, leading to contamination of our soils and waterways,” notes the Guidance. “This realization is profoundly disheartening, as it impacts us all as passive recipients of these chemicals. However, it’s critical to approach this issue with a measured perspective. We must address these challenges with solutions that balance environmental protection with economic stability, ensuring that our response is both thoughtful and effective. This resource will always be produced as long as we have advanced wastewater treatment in civilized society, and we therefore must be able to manage it.”

The guidance covers the benefits of land application of biosolids, how these materials are regulated, why there is concern about mitigating PFAS, and what is being done to mitigate the concern. The seven organization are California Association of Sanitation Agencies, Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Association, Midwest Biosolids Association, Northeast Biosolids and Residuals Association, Northwest Biosolids, Southeast Biosolids Association, and Virginia Biosolids Council.