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MassDEP reports 173 PFAS sites under investigation; details on treatment, guidance and AFFF take‑back
Summary
MassDEP briefed advisory participants on PFAS response: 173 sites under investigation, roughly 30% with unknown sources; the department is operating ~50 point‑of‑entry treatment systems, supplying bottled water at additional sites, drafting PFAS guidance documents and continuing the AFFF foam take‑back program (157 participants, ~48,000 gallons).
John Ziegler, introduced in the meeting as MassDEP’s PFAS coordinator, told attendees the Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup is tracking 173 PFAS sites under investigation. "We have 173 PFAS sites ... under investigation," John said, adding that about 30% of those sites do not yet have an identified source and that source discovery is a top priority.
John described the department’s near-term response measures: DEP has installed roughly 50 point‑of‑entry (POE) treatment systems and is supplying bottled water to about 30 locations while POE systems are installed. "Currently, I think we have about 50 point of entry treatment systems that we are operating, and we're supplying bottled water to another, 30 or so sites," he said.
Guidance and method development were highlighted as upcoming deliverables. John said the agency is preparing a Q&A document, interim sampling-and-analysis guidance and a PFAS analytical compendium. He flagged the CAM protocol for EPA Method 1633 (the recommended method for some waste-cleanup investigations) as among the next documents to be released for review.
Federal developments are shaping state cleanup work. Millie said a July 2024 EPA action changing the treatment of per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances under CERCLA will affect how MassDEP engages as a concurrent agency at Superfund and federal facility sites and may alter records-of-decision or work scopes for some sites.
On AFFF foam, Millie summarized program metrics and expenditures: the take‑back program has run since 2018, has 157 participants, collected roughly 48,000 gallons of foam to date and expended about $785,000 on the effort. "Thus far, we have 157 participants with over 48,000 gallons of foam collected to the tune of almost $785,000 have been expended on this effort," she said.
John and Millie also noted outreach activities: a PFAS workshop at the AEHS/UMass conference and planned public meetings tied to the ORS triennial science review that will inform drinking-water regulation amendments. They stressed harmonizing drinking‑water numeric endpoints and site‑cleanup groundwater standards to avoid conflicting regulatory outcomes.
Next steps: DEP will continue source discovery, publish draft guidance documents for public review, support Attorney General litigation as needed, and relaunch outreach for the AFFF take‑back program.
