With over 20 years of experience focused on drinking water treatment, Stuart is a Vice President with HDR Engineering. He has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from Auburn University and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he studied under the direction of Dr. Amit Amirtharajah. Stuart has provided drinking water related engineering and consulting services across Alabama during his career, while also serving as a global resource on a variety of water treatment related projects across the United States and from Australia to South America.

On Wednesday, June 15, 2022, the USEPA issued new lifetime health advisory levels (HALs) for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as part of initiating the regulatory process for establishing new Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for these four PFAS compounds. While many utilities have been dealing with water quality challenges related to PFAS due to the previous HAL of 70 part per trillion (ppt), the new HALs issued for the four specific PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and PFBS) have resulted in utilities without previous PFAS challenges begin to question what steps should be taken to prepare for potential MCLs that approach the extremely low levels of the new HALs. Moreover, utilities are now struggling with the public perception resulting from media attention associated with the new HALs.

Drawing upon lessons learned from utilities across the country who have dealt with PFAS related challenges and providing the latest updates on laboratory analytical capabilities and the regulatory process, this presentation will focus on providing utilities with practical guidance on how to prepare for potential PFAS related regulatory compliance by addressing these key questions:

• ADEM has previously required utilities to sample for PFAS in 2020 and 2022. What additional PFAS related sampling should be conducted to evaluate potential concerns in raw and finished water, as well as for sources of potential PFAS contamination or background concentrations in the overall watershed?
• What are the true limits of detection for PFAS in analytical laboratories as the new HALs are well below the Minimum Reporting Limit noted by UESPA?
• How does a utility know if there is a PFAS related concern if the future MCL is set as close to the HAL as possible when those values are below the detection limit?
• If the new MCLs are set close to the HALs, what treatment technologies are available and what initial steps should be taken to evaluate their incorporation into existing treatment plants?
• What type of public education and public notification are recommended to explain the difference between MCLs and HALs to customers?
• What potential funding may be available to address any PFAS related issues in a water system?

This presentation will offer perspective and best practices for the full spectrum of utilities, ranging from those concerned with future PFAS regulatory compliance to those utilities more concerned with public perception associated with having HALs set below the detection level for analytical laboratories.

By discussing the important questions noted above and what other utilities have done or are currently doing to address those questions, this presentation will serve as an eye-opening first step in helping utilities who were not previously concerned with PFAS regulatory compliance understand what they can do to better understand the future actions that may be required to comply with regulations and ensure consumer confidence.