Farmers, riverkeepers and industry voices press DEQ on PFAS in biosolids and call for testing/controls

Multiple witnesses told the Virginia Water Commission they are concerned about PFAS concentrations in biosolids (treated sewage sludge) spread on farm fields, and urged stronger testing, limits and pretreatment requirements.

Dean Nikes (Potomac Riverkeeper) told commissioners that peer-reviewed science and public-health experts advise caution: "The science is clear that biosolids from wastewater treatment plants contain concentrated PFAS and we should proceed with caution," he said, urging testing and controls. Nikes and other presenters said a large share of biosolids brought into parts of Virginia are sourced out of state.

Brent Hunsinger (Friends of the Rappahannock) and others presented data and concerns about biosolids being applied in the Northern Neck and Coastal Plain, citing a peer-reviewed study and independent testing. They said tests on some biosolid-amended fields and Maryland treatment-plant biosolids showed PFAS concentrations well above drinking-water thresholds (presenters cited results in the hundreds to hundreds of thousands of parts per trillion for some PFAS compounds in biosolids samples).

Martha Moore of the Virginia Farm Bureau said biosolids remain a valuable organic fertilizer and that Virginia has more stringent application standards than federal minimums; she urged careful review of new science but warned farmers are passive receivers of biosolids and could face severe economic harm if fields are later deemed unsafe. Moore said farmers favor research, pretreatment and targeted testing but also expressed concern about liability for receiving regulated material used as a fertilizer.

Mike Lightfoot, a commercial waterman who testified during public comment, urged immediate action and called for an interim moratorium on imports from a list of treatment plants identified by Maryland27s monitoring program. He said local protests of specific permit applications had led operators to withdraw at least one proposed permit for land application.

DEQ and other officials present earlier in the agenda described the federal EPA risk-assessment process for sewage sludge and said the agency is updating analytical methods for PFAS in wastewater and biosolids. Presenters at the meeting urged the commission to consider requiring state-level biosolids PFAS testing, pretreatment standards for industrial dischargers, and temporary limits on imports of biosolids pending a more complete risk assessment and statewide monitoring.

Commissioners and presenters agreed to continue the discussion and said additional peer-reviewed studies and state lab results should be made available to inform whether new regulatory steps, funding or statutory changes are needed.