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Engineer and water director warn of mounting biosolids disposal crisis amid PFAS restrictions
Summary
Staff told the Infrastructure Committee that PFAS contamination and recent state restrictions have eliminated land application as an option for Bangor's biosolids, tightening landfill capacity and making costly drying or regional solutions likely.
City staff told the Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 18 that biosolids disposal faces mounting constraints after state policy changes and rising PFAS detections.
The committee heard that biosolids—the solids removed during wastewater treatment that contain nutrients and trace contaminants—have been regulated since the 1980s and are tested for heavy metals and PFAS. Staff said Maine’s 2023 law effectively banned land application of biosolids regardless of PFAS concentration, removing a previously preferred disposal option. City staff reported that Bangor’s biosolids have elevated PFAS and that a DEP-partnered study found a major PFAS source was infiltration from aging private sewer lines associated with a former Air Force base; as a result, staff said land application is not a viable option for the city’s biosolids even if state screening levels change.
Staff outlined near- and mid-term disposal pressures: Juniper Ridge landfill’s current configuration is expected to reach capacity around 2028, and even with an expansion the landfill could be full by about 2040. Staff noted some privately owned facilities are planning dryer capacity (which reduces moisture to make landfill disposal feasible), but drying and transport will raise disposal costs. The city has set aside $100,000 for a biosolids-drying feasibility study but has not triggered it while observing regional developments.
On possible state support, staff said a legislative proposal (LD 25) includes $50 million in bonding for wastewater infrastructure, but emphasized that fully addressing a regional drying/processing solution would likely cost far more than that single bond. In response to questions about incineration, staff said most research indicates incineration can volatilize PFAS or transform longer-chain PFAS into shorter-chain compounds, raising air-quality and public-health concerns.
Committee members urged state-level coordination. One councilor offered to help pursue legislative or intermunicipal approaches, and staff recommended forming a stakeholder group with landfill operators, DEP, agricultural representatives and community groups to evaluate alternatives.
Staff concluded by urging the committee that the city needs to plan for regional disposal options and added that the scale of state biosolids production—staff cited an estimate of about 88,000 wet tons per year statewide—underscores the magnitude of the problem.
