PFAS · Source Control and Pretreatment
Why Start PFAS Control at the Source?
Once PFAS is diluted into municipal wastewater, separating it can require large equipment, energy, and expensive residual management. Source control works farther upstream, where a discharge may be smaller and more concentrated.
Source control can take many forms. Options include product changes, waste capture, spill control, reuse, on-site treatment, and discharge schedules. A utility may also ban a discharge when allowed. The best choice depends on the compound, process, flow, and substitute. Check that a substitute does not create another PFAS problem.
The utility’s role is to use its legal authority, technical evidence, and permit structure. Operators provide flow and event records. Pretreatment staff connect those facts to the source.
Key point: Preventing a significant discharge is usually more effective than treating it after dilution.
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PFAS in Wastewater: Sources, Sampling, Source Control, and Residuals
This page comes from the course. It covers PFAS sources in the sewershed, how PFAS moves through a treatment plant, sampling and lab methods, source control, treatment residuals and biosolids, one step at a time, with short knowledge checks and a certificate of completion.
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