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Council approves pilot PFAS testing and feasibility studies for water plants
Summary
Council authorized Bartlett & West to run a pilot-scale PFAS treatment test at the North Water Treatment Plant (~$53,000) and approved feasibility studies for South (~$76,004.38) and North (~$192,006.89) plant improvements to meet EPA PFAS limits.
City staff and engineering consultants outlined a two-part approach to comply with EPA PFAS (forever-chemical) standards: a pilot-scale test to evaluate treatment options at the North Water Treatment Plant and a broader feasibility study to identify required improvements at both plants.
Summer introduced the item and said the EPA adopted new limits for several PFAS compounds in April 2024, requiring treatment within a multi-year timeline. She presented a pilot contract with Bartlett & West for roughly $53,000 to bring a package plant to the North plant to test granular activated carbon (GAC) removal and determine how much of the plant's flow must be treated. Lee Holland Chalk of Bartlett & West said the pilot will help determine whether treating a portion of flow (for example, 15%) and blending could meet legal limits — a finding that would substantially affect long-term costs.
Staff also described the second contract: a feasibility/improvements study for both the South and North plants that would outline layout changes, PFAS system integration, clarifier and basin modifications and estimated costs (South: ~$76,004.38; North: ~$192,006.89). Council members asked whether the two studies should be sequenced; staff confirmed the pilot testing and feasibility work are tied but may run concurrently to meet regulatory timelines. Council unanimously approved both professional-services items.
