Vermont DEC details PFAS testing, tightens biosolids rules and product bans
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Summary
State environmental staff outlined findings that PFAS are detectable across Vermont wastewater plants and in private wells, described a 2024 interim biosolids strategy limiting land application, and previewed phased product bans and container restrictions to reduce sources.
Matt, a staff member in the Waste Management Prevention Division at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, told a committee the state has found PFAS in every wastewater treatment facility it has tested and is moving to tighten controls on biosolids and consumer products.
Matt said DEC tested wastewater plants statewide and found "detectable levels of PFAS in it. There is no wastewater treatment facility that does not have PFAS," and reported average influent of about 26 parts per trillion and average effluent of about 68 parts per trillion. He said drinking water has been the division's primary regulatory focus and that Vermont has adopted numeric standards aligned with 2024 EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) guidance for the small set of PFAS it currently regulates.
The presentation centered on three exposure pathways: drinking water, surface water and soil amendments. On biosolids, Matt said DEC's monitoring and permitting work has substantially reduced the number of active land-application sites and led to the agency adopting an "interim strategy for management of biosolids" in 2024. Under that strategy, DEC requires representative testing of Class A/EQ biosolids to ensure material applied to land meets ambient background soil PFAS values—about 3 parts per billion in the studies cited—and imposes siting restrictions near seasonal high groundwater and drinking-water supplies.
Matt described historical monitoring that showed roughly 22% of monitored biosolids sites had down-gradient wells measuring above prior regulatory values; those sites were placed on more rigorous sampling and management plans, and many facilities stopped land-applying biosolids. He said basin-scale testing around application fields generally found impacts to be highly localized and, in most cases tested, not affecting off-site private drinking supplies.
On the upstream side, Matt described DEC's product-phaseout and ban strategy that began in 2021 with prioritized items: Class B firefighting foam, direct-contact food packaging and rugs/carpets. He said the state has expanded restrictions into a broader set of products (including cosmetics, textiles, apparel and cookware) with phased compliance timelines—some textile-related limits begin in 2027 and container restrictions for commercial chemical products, including pesticides stored in fluorinated containers, extend to 2030.
Matt said DEC coordinates with the Department of Health and the Attorney General's office on product bans and with municipal and industrial partners on pretreatment programs to reduce PFAS discharges. He also described a sewer-sampling phase 2 intended to locate industrial hotspots within collection systems, noting preliminary work showed a surprisingly large share of PFAS mass originates from residential sources.
Matt closed by offering to provide the committee with linked reports and underlying data and said DEC staff can advise communities on where and how to sample if local wells are a concern. The committee thanked the presenters and wrapped up without taking formal action.
