PFAS Developments Continue, CASA Fact Sheet Available
PFAS continues to receive significant attention at the state and federal level. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of manmade fluorinated compounds which are used for a variety of applications by both industry and residential households. They have garnered a significant amount of attention in recent months as states have begun to pursue legislation and regulatory actions to address these chemicals.

CASA recently completed a fact sheet that provides background on the ubiquity of these chemicals and the need to better understand the science and real-world risks they pose before setting stringent thresholds or limits. We will also be submitting a letter to the California congressional delegation asking them to remove amendments from the National Defense Authorization Act that would designate PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, which could have unintended impacts on wastewater utilities. Finally, State Water Board staff are currently designing the next phase of their PFAS investigations. The first stage, which focused on landfills, airports and certain drinking water systems, was initiated earlier this year. The third phase will focus on wastewater facilities and is set to begin late this year or early next year. CASA recently submitted a letter to State Water Board staff outlining our thoughts on how to efficiently focus that phase of the investigation, and will be following up with meetings soon.

 

Water Professionals Appreciation Week Recap
The second annual California Water Professionals Appreciation Week wrapped up last Saturday and it did not disappoint! A big thank you to all the water and sanitation agencies that shared poignant stories of veterans, women and others working in water using #WeAreCAWater or other special hashtags. We saw so many inspiring stories from water professionals all over California across social media. Thanks to all the water professionals in California and we look forward to continued growth with this special week.

 

Biosolids Fire Reclamation Project Underway
The demonstration project to quantify the benefits of biosolids in reclaiming fire ravaged land has been initiated at the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) in Calabasas. The project will evaluate Class B cake and exceptional quality (EQ) biosolids compost from LVMWD and heat dried pellets from the City of Corona against a control site to measure water quality, erosion control, vegetative growth and diversity, and soil quality. The plots have been established and applied with the biosolids. As of today, several samples of the soil/biosolids mixture have been collected and water samples will be taken during each rain event.

The research is a collaborative effort among CASA members and many others. Harry Allen with USEPA Region 9 and David Crohn with UC Riverside are the Principal Investigators, with assistance from Veronica Hurtado at LVMWD. Synagro provided transport of the heat dried pellets, and the City of Los Angeles is providing analytical assistance. Many CASA members have also assisted with financial contributions. Please contact Greg Kester for more information or with questions.