NGWA opened a two-day workshop today in St. Paul, Minnesota, on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of emerging contaminants widespread in groundwater and surface water.
Session 2 of the sold-out workshop is looking at characterization this afternoon.
Nearly 100 attendees will listen to two workshop presenters. Peter Beck, Ph.D., is presenting “Conceptual Geochemical Model for Sorption and Desorption of PFAS” and Peter Nadebaum, Ph.D., is presenting “The Importance of Understanding Mass Distribution and Flux in Developing Remedial Strategies for PFAS Contamination.”
A workgroup exercise will tackle the topic, “What Else Do We Need Know/What Should We Do?” Attendees will then report back their findings to all in attendance.
The day began with a keynote address from Virginia Yingling, a hydrogeologist at the Minnesota Department of Health. Her talk was titled “PFAS — The Challenges of Addressing Emerging Contaminants Under a Public Spotlight.”
On Wednesday, session 3 will wrap up the event by focusing on remediation with presentations by:
- Steven Woodward, Ph.D., PE, who will present “Accelerated Deployment and Startup of Ion Exchange Groundwater Treatment System Addresses PFAS Contamination at Australian Air Base” and “Rapid Deployment of PFAS Removal System for Town Water Supply”
- Dirk Pohlmann, PE, who will present “Lessons Learned from Three Years of Full-Scale PFAS Plume Management and Liquid GAC Groundwater Treatment”
- Scott Wilson who will present “Eliminating Risk of PFAS Contamination: Low Cost In Situ Remediation with Colloidal Activated Carbon.”
The workshop exercise will be “Response Actions Addressing the Problem.” Workgroups will share their findings before the event concludes.
For more information on these chemical compounds, visit NGWA’s PFAS Resource Center.