Online Course

PFAS in Wastewater: Sources, Sampling, Source Control, and Residuals

Follow PFAS from the sewershed through the plant: where it comes from, where it goes in liquid and solids treatment, how to take clean samples and read the lab report, how source control cuts the load, and how to plan for residuals and biosolids.

Course Details

Certificate
1.0 hour
Time
About 65 minutes
To pass
80% or better on the final
Price
Free in most places. $20, or $150 for a yearly pass in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho and South Carolina. See prices

For You

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Try a Sample PageClean Collection, exactly as it appears in the course

What You'll Learn

  • Explain what PFAS are, why persistence and parts-per-trillion results matter, and how different legal programs apply.
  • Identify industrial, commercial, domestic, firefighting foam, landfill leachate, hauled waste and contaminated-site sources, and build a source inventory.
  • Describe how PFAS moves through headworks, primary and biological treatment, foam, recycle streams, effluent and the solids train.
  • Plan PFAS sampling: Method 1633A and Method 1621, approved containers, clean collection, blanks, preservation, shipping and reading the report.
  • Use source control and pretreatment authority: better questions, sewer investigations, mass loading, control options and spill response.
  • Compare activated carbon, ion exchange, membranes and foam fractionation, judge destruction claims and pilot tests, and plan for residuals.
  • Plan for PFAS in biosolids: management pathways, solids results and sampling, receiver questions, contract terms and backup outlets.
  • Build a defensible program: ownership, baseline, trends, decision levels, communication, budget, audits and an operator action plan.
What's Inside 8 parts, 72 pages
  1. PFAS and the Operator 9 pages
    • Why PFAS Matters
    • A Chemical Family
    • Persistence and Movement
    • Parts per Trillion
    • Health Questions and the Operator's Role
    • Different Legal Programs
    • Current Federal Picture
    • Think in Systems
    • Module 1 Checkpoint
  2. Sources in the Sewershed 9 pages
    • Industrial Sources
    • Commercial Sources
    • Domestic Background
    • Firefighting Foam
    • Landfill Leachate
    • Hauled Waste
    • Contaminated Sites
    • Build the Inventory
    • Module 2 Checkpoint
  3. Through the Treatment Plant 9 pages
    • Influent Variability
    • Headworks
    • Primary Solids
    • Biological Treatment
    • Foam and Interfaces
    • Recycle Streams
    • Effluent Results
    • Solids Train
    • Module 3 Checkpoint
  4. Sampling and Laboratory Data 9 pages
    • Start With the Question
    • Method 1633A
    • Method 1621
    • Approved Containers
    • Clean Collection
    • Blanks and Quality Control
    • Preservation and Shipping
    • Read the Report
    • Module 4 Checkpoint
  5. Source Control and Pretreatment 9 pages
    • Source Control First
    • Pretreatment Authority
    • Ask Better Questions
    • Sewer Investigation
    • Mass Loading
    • Control Options
    • Verify Reduction
    • Spill and Slug Response
    • Module 5 Checkpoint
  6. Treatment and Residuals 9 pages
    • Separate or Destroy
    • Activated Carbon
    • Ion Exchange
    • Membranes
    • Foam Fractionation
    • Destruction Claims
    • Pilot Testing
    • Residual Decisions
    • Module 6 Checkpoint
  7. Biosolids and PFAS: Planning Ahead 9 pages
    • PFAS in Biosolids
    • Management Pathways
    • Reading a Solids Result
    • Sampling the Solids Product
    • What Receivers Ask
    • Contract Terms
    • Backup Outlets and Storage
    • Find Your Own Requirements
    • Module 7 Checkpoint
  8. Build a Defensible Program 9 pages
    • Assign Ownership
    • Build the Baseline
    • Trend Carefully
    • Decision Levels
    • Communicate Results
    • Prepare the Budget
    • Audit the Program
    • Operator Action Plan
    • Module 8 Checkpoint
More Details

Who It's For

Wastewater operators, pretreatment and laboratory staff, supervisors and utility managers, and people studying to become operators. No experience needed.

Format

72 narrated pages with short checks and a final. Built by a working wastewater operator (Washington Group III).

Where Does This Course Count?

A course counts toward your continuing education credit only once your state or province accepts it. Today our courses count in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, where courses need no pre-approval, and we are asking more states. Ask us to add your state or province.

Do I Need an Account?

Yes, to take the course. Signing in lets us record your time and issue your certificate. This page, the topic pages and the practice questions need no account.

Can I Skip Ahead?

No. Each page has a minimum time before the next one opens, and your time is recorded.

What Do I Get When I Finish?

A certificate of completion from Operator Master for 1.0 hour, once you pass the final with 80% or better. Your operator certificate or license always comes from your state, not from Operator Master.

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