UNITED STATES
EPA Memo Urges Use of Permitting Program to Reduce PFAS at Source
A memorandum issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides guidance on how to use the national bedrock clean water permitting program to protect against PFAS. The memo, “Addressing PFAS Discharges in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits and Through the Pretreatment Program and Monitoring Programs,” outlines how states can monitor for PFAS discharges and take steps to reduce them when detected. It is part of the EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap, which outlines the EPA’s plans for addressing PFAS. Michigan and North Carolina have already demonstrated the benefits of leveraging their state-administered NPDES permit programs to identify and reduce sources of PFAS before these forever chemicals enter treatment facilities and surface waters.
IAPMO R&T Lab Acquires QFT Laboratory, Hires Jaime Young as Lab Director
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) R&T Lab has acquired New Jersey-based Quality Filter Testing (QFT) Laboratory, tripling the size of IAPMO R&T Lab’s water-system testing capacity commensurate with its growing Water Systems Certification Program. Lab Director Jaime Young, a recognized expert in developing testing methods who has consulted with manufacturers on their research and development initiatives, will join IAPMO to continue operating the lab in New Jersey.
EPIC Releases Report to Guide Replacement of Toxic Lead Pipes Over Next Decade
The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) released a report highlighting best practices for municipalities, communities, and policymakers on replacing lead pipes quickly, efficiently, and equitably—all within the next decade. The release of From the Ground Up: A Guide to Replacing the Nation’s Toxic Lead Pipes Over the Next Decade is timed with the one-year anniversary of the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan. This milestone, alongside historic funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, represents momentum being created by the federal government in replacing the nation’s toxic lead pipes.
U.S. EPA Issues Clean Water Rule
The U.S. EPA issued a rule at the very end of 2022 that defines which waterways in the U.S. will receive federal water quality protections under the 1972 Clean Water Act. The EPA says the revised rule is based on definitions that were in place before 2015 and restores protections for hundreds of thousands of rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and other bodies of water while also providing a more durable definition of the “waters of the United States” that receive federal protection. The EPA rule will apply to federal protections to wetlands, tributaries, and other waters that have a solid connection to navigable water. The rule also includes changes that clarify certain qualifications for waters that are excluded from regulation, including wetlands that were converted to crop land before 1985, waste treatment centers, and artificially irrigated areas.
Troops at Two Dozen Military Bases Exposed to Toxic Chemicals in Drinking Water
A U.S. Defense Department (DOD) study completed in 2022 found that the drinking water at 24 U.S. military installations exposes about 175,000 service members a year to dangerous levels of chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses. The report, made public by the Environmental Working Group, stated the water tested from each of the bases contained more than 70 parts per trillion of PFAS, which exceeds the U.S. EPA’s previous limits for safe drinking water. The bases with dangerous PFAS levels include Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The Pentagon is reportedly aware of nearly 700 bases with some level of contamination, but its efforts to clean up existing contamination are slow; the PFAS task force’s most recent report of its activities shows just 100 inspections/assessments at DOD installations in the first half of fiscal year 2022.
3M to Exit PFAS Manufacturing by End of 2025
3M has announced its plan to exit PFAS manufacturing and to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025. This decision follows careful consideration and thorough evaluation of such factors as accelerating regulatory trends focused on reducing or eliminating the presence of PFAS in the environment, as well as changing stakeholder expectations.
A.O. Smith Achieves WAVE Verification, Hires Noelle Brigham as ESG Director
A.O. Smith has received the WAVE water stewardship verification, a process led by The Water Council. WAVE was designed to help companies improve their water stewardship and is independently verified by SCS Global Services, providing additional credibility and transparency to the process. Throughout the WAVE process, A.O. Smith assessed water-related risks across the enterprise, identified the highest water-related impacts, and implemented best practices to improve water stewardship performance.
A.O. Smith has appointed Noelle Brigham, PE, ENV SP, as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) director. Brigham is a licensed professional engineer and Envision Sustainability Professional with over 20 years of experience in sustain ability and environmental engineering in the consumer products and consulting industries.
University of California, Riverside, Scientists Patent New Method to Destroy PFAS
Chemical engineering and environmental scientists from the University of California, Riverside, uncovered a new method to chemically break up “forever chemicals” (PFAS) found in drinking water into smaller compounds that are essentially harmless. The patent-pending process infuses contaminated water with hydro-gen, then blasts the water with high-energy, short-wavelength ultraviolet light. This process enables the hydrogen to polarize water molecules to make them more reactive, while the light catalyzes chemical reactions that destroy PFAS. This method breaks the fluorine-to-carbon chemical bonds that make PFAS so persistent and accumulative in the environment. With this method, the molecular destruction of PFAS increased from 10 percent to 100 percent when compared to other ultraviolet water-treatment methods.
American Water and Water Research Foundation Release PFAS Risk Communication Toolkits
Public awareness of PFAS continues to rise, and water professionals are now seeking ways to clearly communicate to their customers what PFAS are, where they come from, and if they are detected in drinking water. To help water professionals, American Water and the Water Research Foundation have released two PFAS communication toolkits under their project PFAS One Water Risk Communication Messaging for Water Sector Professionals. The first toolkit focuses on the concept of One Water and describes where PFAS come from, how they enter the environment, and their impact on drinking water and wastewater systems. The second toolkit was developed for use alongside the U.S. EPA’s fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. This rule requires sampling of 29 PFAS. Materials provided in each toolkit are customizable by water system, encompass a variety of outreach methods, and further reinforce the utility-customer relationship.
Calgon Carbon Study Shows Removal and Destruction of PFAS During Carbon Reactivation
A new study from Calgon Carbon Corporation shows that PFAS compounds are effectively removed from spent carbon through the reactivation process. Further, it shows a greater than 99.99 percent destruction of PFAS through Calgon Carbon’s furnace and abatement system. The study’s findings come at a time of growing concern about and increased focus on the impact of PFAS due to their inability to break down over time within the environment.
CANADA
Deschenes Group Vice President Jon Leeson Passes Away
Jon Leeson, vice president, building mechanical market at Deschenes Group, passed away on December 15, 2022. Leeson started his career in 1988 and joined the Deschenes Group in March 2003 at Desco Plumbing and Heating. He held various marketing and sales roles before becoming vice president and general manager. He was appointed to his current position on December 1, 2021. Leeson also was a long-term participant in the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating.
CIPH Honors Tony Testini, Ryan Bristow
The Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) has awarded Tony Testini from LIXIL Canada Inc. the CIPH Lifetime Service Award. Testini started in the industry at Crane Canada in 1979 and is currently the general manager West, Trade Canada. The Lifetime Service Award is presented to recipients with 40 or more years in the plumbing and heating industry.
Ryan Bristow, managing partner, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, has received the CIPH Outstanding Service Award recognizing his 25 years with CIPH member companies and at least five years of CIPH volunteer service. Bristow began his career in 1997 with Murray Krovats Agency, is a past president for CIPH Manitoba, and currently serves on the CIPH board of directors.
EUROPE
De Nora and Aclarity Sign Agreement to Deploy PFAS Destroying Technology
Connected by a commitment to protect global health through innovative water-treatment solutions, De Nora signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with venture-capital-backed water technology company Aclarity, Inc., that will target harmful contaminants, such as PFAS, in water at industrial scale. Under the terms of the MOU, De Nora and Aclarity have agreed to pilot novel water-treatment applications with concentration and destruction steps for PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern in groundwater, where 98 percent of the earth’s available fresh water can be found.