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Local waterman warns of PFAS levels in biosolids, urges county ordinance mirroring Lancaster/Northumberland
Summary
A presentation to the board highlighted tests indicating elevated PFAS in waterways and wells near biosolids application fields and recommended the county consider an ordinance mirroring neighboring counties to limit biosolids applications until state action arrives.
Michael Lightfoot, a local waterman and resident of Jackson Creek, told the Board of Supervisors April 14 that testing conducted by advocacy groups and state agencies shows per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at levels far above EPA guidance in some wastewater-sludge (biosolids) applications and nearby waters. He urged the board to consider adopting local controls similar to ordinances in Lancaster and Northumberland counties while the General Assembly and state agencies continue work on statewide rules.
Lightfoot said Maryland’s regulator paused new biosolids permits last year after testing found several sewage treatment plants with PFAS concentrations “thousands of times” above the EPA’s recommended levels. He said Synagro is the primary company hauling biosolids into Westmoreland County and neighboring jurisdictions because of proximity and transport costs.
Lightfoot described a recent local water test of a shallow well near an application area that showed PFAS near EPA guidance thresholds; he said the field adjacent to the tested well had not received biosolids since 2023. He and partners tested three feeder creeks to the Nomini River and cited DEQ testing at other Nomini locations. He said those results were in the 1.4–1.6 range (parts per liter), compared with an EPA guidance figure of 0.0036 (the figure cited in the presentation); Lightfoot characterized the results as “thousands of times higher.”
He reviewed neighboring counties’ ordinances that limit application near tidal waterways, require liability insurance, require testing and ban offensive odors after a specified period, and said violations can carry criminal penalties in those counties. He noted Synagro had withdrawn a large permit (permit 835, about 1,950 acres) after public comment.
Lightfoot told the board that some sewage-treatment plants servicing large industrial users and military bases (including firefighting-foam sources) are the most likely to produce biosolids with high PFAS levels. He said the county has authority to adopt local ordinances mirroring the protections in Lancaster and Northumberland and asked the board to consider such local controls while state-level solutions are developed.
Board members asked clarifying questions about PFAS. One supervisor relayed that a Virginia Department of Health scientist had compared biosolids’ public-health implications to past asbestos concerns; another asked for basic clarification that PFAS refers to a family of thousands of chemicals used in consumer and industrial products that can persist in the environment. The board did not take immediate regulatory action but asked staff to consider the information for future ordinance updates and possible coordination with state legislators.
Ending: The board directed staff to review existing county ordinances and noted interest in considering local regulations to limit or control biosolids application pending state action.
