Virginia Tech leads innovative initiative to tackle PFAS pollution in Northern Virginia’s drinking water supply
Douglas Holladay takes a water sample from the Occoquan Reservoir. Photo by Peter Means for Virginia Tech.
The Occoquan Reservoir supplies drinking water to nearly 1 million residents in the greater Washington, D.C., area — and currently, its levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), “forever chemicals” that have been linked to cancer, immune dysfunction, and developmental issues in children, exceed Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant levels.
It’s not just a local problem. An estimated 158 million Americans are exposed to PFAS in their drinking water.
Recognizing the challenges posed by PFAS contamination in the Occoquan Reservoir, Fairfax Water approached Stanley Grant, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of Virginia Tech’s Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory, to lead a transformative research initiative in partnership with public utilities and with funding from The Water Research Foundation.
Researchers hope to not only reduce PFAS in the Occoquan Reservoir, but to create a model for battling PFAS nationwide by using what water sector stakeholders call a One Water approach. A One Water approach takes an integrated look at how all water uses in the watershed are part of a single, interconnected system. This approach changes the long-held practice of treating stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water as separate entities within the same water body.
“The Water Research Foundation is excited to see this project come to fruition,” said Peter Grevatt, CEO of The Water Research Foundation. “By adopting a holistic One Water approach to PFAS management, the watershed stakeholders can optimize mitigation measures to minimize costs while maximizing public health and water quality benefits at a watershed scale.”
Tracking PFAS sources and testing solutions
The first step in the project is ferreting out where the high levels of PFAS in the reservoir come from. “The Occoquan Reservoir faces multiple sources of PFAS contamination, including industrial discharges, water reclamation, and nonpoint sources from the surrounding rapidly urbanizing watershed,” said Grant. “The presence of PFAS in multiple subsystems, including drinking water, wastewater, streams, and groundwater, complicates the detection and mitigation efforts.”
Then stakeholders must choose effective strategies for PFAS mitigation. The Water Research Foundation’s partners in this project include Fairfax Water, Upper Occoquan Service Authority, Prince William Water, and Fairfax County, along with community members and industry partners. Together, these groups will work to come up with practical solutions that are affordable, effective, and reflect the needs of the community.
The research team is using an advanced computer model that can quickly test “what-if” scenarios for how effectively different solutions might reduce PFAS pollution. The team will explore the costs and benefits of different PFAS source control and treatment methods. Findings from this study will guide utilities when assessing treatment options and the costs those new treatment processes — and how those costs could impact customers’ drinking water and wastewater bills.
Creating a model for PFAS management
Beyond addressing concerns in Northern Virginia, the project is designed to be replicable. Grant’s team will create a guidance document for PFAS management with best practices and modeling tools that utilities managers, planners, and policymakers can apply to other water systems nationwide. By adopting a holistic One Water approach to PFAS management, watershed stakeholders nationwide can optimize mitigation measures across subsystems to minimize costs while maximizing public health and water quality benefits at a watershed scale.
“We want to address the complex issue of PFAS pollution in a key drinking water reservoir by integrating cutting-edge science and modeling tools and stakeholder engagement,” said Grant. “This has the potential to safeguard drinking water quality for millions of people but also provide a blueprint for other communities seeking to manage emerging contaminants in their water systems.”
The Water Research Foundation is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of the water sector. It is anticipated that project results will be available in 2027. Stay up to date on project progress by visiting the project page on the foundation’s website.
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Douglas Holladay takes a water sample from the Occoquan Reservoir. Photo by Peter Means for Virginia Tech. The Occoquan Reservoir supplies drinking water to nearly 1 million residents in the greater Washington, D.C., area — and currently, its levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), “forever chemicals” that have been linked to cancer, immune…