Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water have been attracting national attention due to their prevalence, potential adverse health effects, and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. The regulatory landscape for PFAS in wastewater is highly complex and evolving, with some states requiring monitoring of PFAS compounds in wastewater and biosolids, and others like Colorado moving towards permit limits. Federal action on PFAS is under the EPA PFAS Action Plan but may be impacted by the Congressional landscape in 2021. The wastewater industry is growing in awareness of the potential impacts and costs of detecting PFAS in wastewater and biosolids and liability exposure. This presentation will provide an overview of Colorado's approach to PFAS and how that is impacting utilities and will continue to in the future. The presentation will then turn to the national landscape and trends that will likely indicate the future challenges of PFAS contamination in wastewater.
At the end of the presentation, we will hold a Q&A session. For Q&A, please post a message that you have a question, and Steve will call on folks in order. You don’t have to state your question, but you can if you want.
Speakers
We have three speakers for this month’s presentation:
Sarah Reeves is Brown and Caldwell's Director of Technical Services Systems and Performance. Sarah spent much of 2020 working with stakeholders from across the state to better understand the science of PFAS, participate and provide input in the Policy 20-1 workgroup process, develop and support an alternative proposal to Policy 20-1, and provide input on Colorado PFAS legislation. She will provide an overview of the state's approach to PFAS and the requirements of Policy 20-1.
Michelynn Hollister is Colorado Springs Utilities' Environmental Permitting and Compliance Specialist. As Colorado Springs is part of Specified Area 7 (under Regulation 42) , they have been subject to early PFAS requirements and Michelynn has been part of the team from the beginning. Michelynn will share her experience in administering construction dewatering in compliance with the state's evolving PFAS requirements. She will provide lessons learned for any utility who might be required to dewater for construction or other purposes in areas that may have elevated PFAS levels.
Allegra da Silva is Brown and Caldwell’s Research Deputy Director and PFAS National Leader for the Municipal Sector. She works directly with clients and subject matter experts to develop innovative and efficient technical solutions that protect public health and benefit the environment. She was involved in the stakeholder process for Policy 20-1 as a technical advisor and served as a witness to testify regarding available and emerging treatment technologies and associated costs.
Luncheon Format:
In light of continuing COVID restrictions on gatherings, this luncheon will again be conducted online. Sorry, you must bring your own lunch. 😊 Instructions on how to register are in the next paragraph. The presentation will begin at 12 noon on the above date (Mountain time, of course). The presentation will be broadcast using Microsoft Teams. Folks who have registered for the luncheon will receive an email the day before with a link to the meeting. Please be sure your microphone is muted and camera turned off when you join the meeting. The first is obvious and the latter is to reduce bandwidth required.
Registration:
TAC Registration: A registration fee of $10 is being imposed for all attendees. This is reduced from our typical charges in the past to reflect the online nature of the event. Registration and payment for TAC luncheons will be handled as in the past on line at: TAC Registration. Registration may be made for a single attendee or for multiple attendees in a group. It is requested that each individual in a group either register individually or are included in the count for a group registration, and that multiple parties are not partaking in the presentation without registering. If for some reason you are unable to register online, please contact Steve Polson (303-748-0931, or steve.polson@jacobs.com) to arrange for paying with check or cash.
The registration deadline for this event is Wednesday, June 23, at 3:00 pm MST. We will send out the link for the luncheon to the email addresses per the registration site by the end of the day on Wednesday. Please note the Teams program does not need to be installed on your computer to participate. When you click the link provided in the email, an option to participate through your browser is offered. There will also be a call-in number, but it is hoped that nobody is forced to do that, as you will only receive the audio. If you registered but do not receive the email on Wednesday, please call Steve Polson (303-748-0931) on Thursday morning to determine how to get you the link.
Please note that the online approach will only be used as long as we are not allowed to meet in person. We look forward to the time when we can return to our normal format with lunch and opportunities for folks to socialize before and after the presentation. We anticipate that will be the case when we resume luncheons in October 2021