FWRC 2023 – H2YOU! – FWPCOA OPERATORS SHOWCASE –
Operators Learn About Latest Water and Wastewater Regulations Operators from across Florida came to the conference to learn about pertinent issues to use in their careers. On Thursday, some attended the Operators Showcase to have a beer and hear about new regulations. The showcase is sponsored by the Florida Water and Pollution Control Operators Association (FWPCOA), and this year the discussion was moderated by Tom King, who chairs and is a member of several FWPCOA committees.
The session had three presenters: S Chris Owen, associate vice president and director of water and reuse innovations with Hazen and Sawyer in Tampa. S Carlyn J. Higgins, Ph.D., P.E., an engineer with Hazen and Sawyer in Tampa. S John O’Brien, a licensed operator with Seacoast Utility Authority in Palm Beach Gardens.
What Does the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Regulatory Future Look Like and What Does It Mean for Your Utility? Chris Owen Owen spoke about the effects of perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals on the water utility industry. She discussed the following: S PFAS background S The proposed new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) S Proposed compliance schedules S Treatment approaches S Funding opportunities S Communication tools The (Expanding) World of PFAS Compounds A large, complex group of synthetic chemicals, PFAS have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. They are ingredients in various everyday products that are used to keep food
from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective. There are more than 4,000 compounds that make up PFAS. The PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms. Because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest, these chemicals do not degrade easily in the environment. People are most likely exposed to these chemicals by consuming PFAS-contaminated water or food, using products made with PFAS, or breathing air containing PFAS. Because PFAS break down slowly (if at all), people and animals are repeatedly exposed to them, and blood levels with PFAS can build up over time. The most commonly studied PFAS are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The next most commonly studied are perfluorohexane
sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). The PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms that provide their chemical and thermal stability, as well as their water- and oil-repellent characteristics. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized the human health toxicity assessment for hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) dimer acid and its ammonium salt, which are also known as “GenX chemicals” because they are the two major chemicals associated with the next generation of processing technology used to make highperformance fluoropolymers without the use of PFOA. The adverse health effects of PFAS exposure include: S Increased cholesterol levels S Decreased vaccine response in children S Changes in liver enzymes S Increased risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia in pregnant women
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6380916/
24 August 2023 • Florida Water Resources Journal