Marathon County explores regional reverse-osmosis plan to manage PFAS leachate; committee urged to clarify cost-sharing

Marathon County officials spent a substantial portion of the Sept. 2 Environmental Resources Committee meeting discussing a proposed regional approach to manage landfill leachate containing PFAS using a reverse osmosis (RO) concentration system. The item was presented as an educational discussion; no formal committee action was taken.

Supervisor Tom Robinson (committee chair) and Solid Waste staff outlined a plan in which a RO system would treat incoming leachate, pass roughly 90% of water through membranes, and return a concentrated 10% ‘‘concentrate’’ to the landfill cell. The concentrate would be recirculated into the waste mass where organic material could sequester some PFAS; staff said the approach would reduce leachate volume but would not destroy PFAS. “Separation technologies are really the only thing that are available in the market. These destruction technologies just haven’t been as readily available,” a Solid Waste representative said, describing the approach as a stopgap until destruction technologies mature.

Speakers…