Much is being discussed today about the prevalence of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in groundwater, the potential health effects of exposure to PFAS in groundwater, and the development of groundwater cleanup standards by USEPA and state environmental protection departments. Less discussed (at least in the news media) is the subject of remediation. Notwithstanding the inference of the “forever” label, can these chemicals be effectively remediated, in-situ, in groundwater?
Answering this question may be aided by a remediation pilot study being undertaken at a PFAS site in East and West Rockhill Townships, Bucks County, Pennsylvania – the Ridge Run PFAS Site. Ridge Run became a state superfund site (under Pennsylvania’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (“HSCA”), 35 P.S. §§ 6020.102-6020.1303) in 2016 when a combined concentration of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) exceeding the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) then-applicable Health Advisory Level (HAL) (70 parts per trillion) was discovered in a public water supply well. Continue reading “In-situ PFAS Groundwater Remediation: A Good Test Case”