#MACoCon Recap: PFAS As an Emerging Environmental and Public Health Crisis

At the MACo Summer Conference, attendees heard about the challenges facing Maryland water utilities as they work to address PFAS contamination and protect public health.

’25 MACo Summer Conference PFAS Panel. From top left to bottom right: Priscilla To, Ph.D., P.E., Director, Department of Operational Reliability and Resilience, WSSC Robert Smith, Director of Engineering and Utilities, City of Cumberland Betsy Nicholas, President, Potomac River Keepers Network Paul Sayan, P.E., Deputy Bureau Head, Water & Wastewater, Baltimore City DPW Senator Sara Love Zachary Schafer, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Maryland Department of the Environment Betsy Nicholas, President, Potomac River Keepers Network

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are rapidly becoming one of the most significant environmental and health challenges of our time. These persistent chemicals are commonly found in everyday items such as makeup, cookware, clothing, and more. When they accumulate in the environment and in human bodies, PFAS can cause serious health and ecological harm. Counties—often passive recipients of PFAS contamination—are being left to manage the costly response, frequently without adequate state or federal support.

Senator Sara Love led the conversation and moderated an informative Q&A at the “Forever Chemicals” – PFAS As an Emerging Environmental and Public Health Crisis general session at the MACo Summer Conference.

Panel speakers included:

  • Betsy Nicholas, President, Potomac River Keepers Network
  • Paul Sayan, P.E., Deputy Bureau Head, Water & Wastewater, Baltimore City DPW
  • Priscilla To, Ph.D., P.E., Director, Department of Operational Reliability and Resilience, WSSC
  • Robert Smith, Director of Engineering and Utilities, City of Cumberland
  • Zachary Schafer, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Maryland Department of the Environment

Zachary Schafer explained the basics of PFAS: the history, science, and public health impacts. PFAS are found in thousands of household products and infrastructure. While some policies are starting to limit their use, these chemicals are still found in many places where people interact daily.

Betsy Nicholas discussed the PFAS cycle and how it ends up in the environment. Industry leaders have known for some time about the hazards of using PFAS, yet many companies continue to use these hazardous chemicals. Separate from the private sector, PFAS contamination from military use is also causing major public health issues for several Maryland communities.

Priscilla To explained the critical need for clean water for Maryland’s communities and the efforts her organization is making to mitigate PFAS exposure from wastewater treatment processing. Landfilling PFAS adds significant costs that will increase utility rates. Utility operators that act as passive recievers, like WSSC and county governments, need help in developing alternatives that won’t hurt ratepayers.

Paul Sayan explained about the infrastructure currently serving the greater Baltimore region and the challenges of servicing an area with a large amount of industry. The city has significant questions about the future of land application of potentially PFAS-contaminated biosolids. This significantly impacts both the functionality of current facilities and has implications for future contracting. Costs have increased 40% due to this transition.

Robert Smith spoke about the challenges of dealing with PFAS from the perspective of a small, resource-constrained jurisdiction. Cumberland’s water infrastructure budgets total just over $11m, infrastructure to remove PFAS is projected to cost roughly $4m, and it is likely to have additional public health issues. The city projected that a ban on land application would mean tripling ratepayer bills.

The session was on August 15 at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland.

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