the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewod NJ, at the September 4th Village Council Meeting, Rich Calbi, director of Ridgewood Water, presented an update on the construction of the PFAS Treatment Facilities.
View the presentation: https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/DocumentCenter/View/4002/PFAS-Treatment-Facility-Construction-Update?bidId=
A PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) treatment facility is designed to remove these persistent chemicals from water supplies, preventing them from entering drinking water or the environment. PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in various industrial and consumer products for their water and heat resistance. he process begins with the intake of contaminated water, usually from a groundwater source, municipal water supply, or an industrial wastewater system, and involves the use of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide for effective treatment. Due to their long-lasting nature, PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” and have been linked to environmental and health risks. Here’s how a PFAS treatment facility typically works:
1. Water Intake and Pre-Treatment
The process begins with the intake of contaminated water, usually from a groundwater source, municipal water supply, or an industrial wastewater system. The water might undergo basic pre-treatment, such as sediment filtration, to remove large particles and solids, which can improve the efficiency of the PFAS removal systems.
2. PFAS Removal Technologies
There are several methods used to remove PFAS from water. A treatment facility may employ one or more of these technologies:
- Granular Activated Carbon (GAC): GAC is one of the most common technologies for PFAS removal. Water passes through tanks filled with activated carbon, which adsorbs PFAS molecules. This method works best for longer-chain PFAS, though shorter-chain PFAS may require additional treatment. Over time, the carbon gets saturated and needs to be replaced or regenerated.
- Ion Exchange Resin: Ion exchange uses synthetic resins designed to attract and bind PFAS molecules, replacing them with harmless ions (like chloride or hydroxide). These resins are more selective and can capture both long- and short-chain PFAS. Ion exchange resins can be regenerated for reuse, though disposal or further treatment is required for the concentrated waste.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO): RO is a membrane filtration process that removes PFAS by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane. The membrane blocks PFAS molecules, allowing clean water to pass through while concentrating contaminants on the other side. This technology is very effective, but it produces concentrated waste that must be handled separately.
- Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP): AOPs use powerful oxidants like ozone or hydrogen peroxide, often combined with UV light, to break down PFAS molecules into less harmful compounds. AOP is sometimes used in combination with other methods to degrade residual PFAS.
3. Post-Treatment
After the PFAS removal step, the treated water is subjected to post-treatment processes to ensure it meets safety standards for drinking water or environmental release. These may include disinfection (e.g., chlorine, UV light) or pH adjustments to balance water chemistry.
4. Waste Management
The waste produced from PFAS removal (e.g., spent GAC, concentrated brine from RO, or resin waste) is carefully managed. The contaminated media is either regenerated or disposed of at specialized hazardous waste facilities, ensuring PFAS is not released back into the environment.
5. Monitoring and Maintenance
Continuous monitoring is critical to ensure the treatment systems are working efficiently. PFAS concentrations are regularly measured at various stages of the treatment process. The facility must also maintain equipment, replace filters or media as necessary, and manage operational data.
6. Discharge or Reuse
Once the PFAS have been sufficiently removed, the treated water can be discharged into the environment (such as rivers or lakes) or sent back into municipal water supplies. In some cases, the treated water is reused in industrial applications.
Key Considerations:
- Efficiency: Treatment effectiveness varies depending on the type and concentration of PFAS in the water, as well as the treatment method used.
- Cost: PFAS treatment can be expensive due to the need for specialized equipment, media, and handling of hazardous waste.
- Disposal: Safely managing the waste generated from PFAS removal is a significant challenge.
PFAS treatment facilities play a crucial role in reducing exposure to these harmful chemicals, protecting both human health and the environment.
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PFAS PauLIE will take care of everything. Don’t worry. PFAS is everywhere were his words and he meant them.
What this update fails to explain is WHEN our water will be above the NJDEP drinking standards. 14 consecutive quarters and counting. With an estimated target date of Sept 2026, another year, when will the water be drinkable. Is it instant or the facilities need to work for a while before we see any changes.
They can’t tell you because they don’t know. Simple as that. Oh sure, they can estimate but if you notice, they only ever give an approximation. What Ridgewood should do is buy better quality water from towns that have already figured it out and have better levels. They buy water all of the time, so why buy inferior quality water.
By the way, when does the major mulit million dollar Ridgewood Water lawsuit get settled?
Just as soon as they can convincingly recalibrate the standards such that the acceptable PFAS concentration appears de minimis enough to the population, but in reality will simply poison you more slowly over a longer period of time. Something of a setback, but patience is a virtue.
Here’s the condensed report:
1) We are failing miserably.
We are YEARS behind our promised remediation schedule
(but we are “working hard” to remediate the situation)
2) Poison remains in the water
3) Continue paying us a PREMIUM so we can continue to poison you and drag our feet without resolving the problem. We have NO SENSE OF URGENCY since we know THERE WILL BE NO CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR INACTION.
4) Please spend ADDITIONAL MONEY to purchase PFAS-free bottled water or to install and maintain an expensive PFAS filter.
Ridgewood Water is years AHEAD of other municipalities whose water sources were contaminated by outside actors, in implementing clean-up. They were one of the first to receive a large EPA grant to begin work (thank you Susan Knudsen).
Although our drinking water does not meet the current standard, we are fortunate to have multiple wells to draw from resulting in a significantly concentration of contaminants. EPA and NJDEP standards are orders of magnitude conservative and reflect extensive risk assessment consideration with built in conservative buffers.
Again, Ridgewood Water has done nothing but respond to urgency. They were first our of the gate on remediation. They didnt put the contaminants in the water but they are doing a damn good job, well ahead of the pack, on remediation.
Before you start throwing barbs, you should look at how other municipal systems have responded and where they are at.
What did Ridgewood Water offer you to write this tripe? Free spring water deliveries for a year?
Just stating facts. Take your pitch fork and shove it.
The Village Manager explained on his page today the following :
“Once the facilities are completed and operational scheduled for 9/2026, water will be treated to undetectable levels of PFAS. The $150M investment is being made to meet the standards”.
4 years of water that doesn’t meet the standards across 4 communities. Now we need to wait another 2 years of undrinkable water and then we are suppose to believe that overnight when the last facility is plugged in an operational, all PFAS goes away. It’s almost 10 years that Mr. Calbi has been working on this issue, I cannot believe Sept 2026 is the miracle month.
They never said it would go away, only that it will be at levels undetectable. Of course, you can’t find something when you’re not looking for it.
It wont go away. It is still seeping into the system through the ground…. how would you remediate that? Did up all of north Jersey?
What will the money do once they settle the lawsuit? Will it go to defray costs that residents have currently been paying. Why can’t we buy water that doesn’t have PFAS?
“Why can’t we buy water that doesn’t have PFAS?”
Why can’t we buy “raincoats” that don’t have PFAS????
https://nypost.com/2024/09/09/business/trojan-condoms-contain-toxic-forever-chemicals-linked-to-cancer-lawsuit/