As States Confront PFAS in Wastewater, Solutions Must Scale With the Problem

Earlier this week, the Adirondack Explorer published an article titled New York’s PFAS plan: targeting “forever chemicals” in wastewater, biosolids. The article by Zachary Matson reveals that a statewide study on rural soils confirmed the “widespread presence of PFAS, used in countless products to repel water and grease.”

Andrew Guglielmi, director of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s division of environmental remediation, said that PFAS was present “in nearly every sample” they took. Not only is contamination widespread, but current treatment processes cannot solve the problem either.

“Many of these chemicals were never designed to be removed by traditional wastewater treatment systems and upgrading the treatment to address them is often not cost-effective and in many cases technically impracticable,” said Carol Lamb-Lafay, director of DEC’s division of water.

Traditional biosolid disposal practices, such as landfilling, can unintentionally make matters worse by contributing to long-term contamination.

The findings, paired with new policy actions from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), underscore the scale and urgency of a challenge that extends far beyond state lines and around the world. A few days after this article, Sebastian Daily reported that waters in a Florida county showed “elevated Levels of Cancer-Linked Forever Chemicals.”

New York’s actions represent an important step toward accountability and progress. As more states confront similar realities, innovation will need to play a central role alongside regulation. Bridging the gap between recognizing the problem and having practical solutions remains one of the biggest obstacles. Testing and monitoring give us insight into the extent of the problem, and utilities now need solutions that are technologically viable, economically feasible, and scalable.

This is where innovation will need to play a central role alongside regulation.

At Bioforcetech, we are proud to be part of a new generation of companies rethinking how communities manage waste, materials, and environmental risk. What New York is experiencing mirrors what we’re seeing across the country: growing awareness, evolving regulation, and an urgent need for practical, scalable solutions.

We support communities and utilities as they work toward safer, more resilient approaches to biosolids management. Our work has always focused on helping utilities move beyond management toward transformation.

The path forward will require both firm policy and scalable innovation, and we’re committed to contributing to that future.