PFAS: Encouraging Results from OCWD Treatment Study – Update on Completed Project and Next Steps

• Orange County Water District
• Virtual Event

In December 2019, OCWD launched a large testing program to evaluate effective treatment technologies to remove PFAS found in groundwater. With a particular focus on adsorption-based technologies, the objective was to determine which media are most efficient and cost-effective for removing PFAS to restore local drinking water supplies.

Working with Jacobs, OCWD successfully completed more than a year’s worth of testing and data collection to measure the performance of different granular activated carbons and alternative “novel” adsorbents using laboratory methods across 10 different water retailers’ groundwaters, as well as a pilot-scale test of these media plus ion exchange resins.

Design and construction of full-scale treatment systems at various drinking water production wells is underway that will use IX or GAC (depending on the site). Alternative adsorbents may be utilized in the future based on promising findings from the treatment study.

OCWD and Jacobs will share an overview of the results from this study and a preview of what’s planned for piloting additional adsorbents in the program’s second phase.

Featured Speakers:
– Megan Plumlee, PhD, P.E., Director of Research, Orange County Water District
– Scott Grieco, PhD, P.E., Global Technology Leader, Jacobs