{"id":273151,"date":"2026-08-27T10:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T10:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/273151\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T10:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T10:06:08","slug":"pennsylvania-looks-to-reduce-forever-chemicals-in-sewage-sludge-on-farm-fields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/273151\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania looks to reduce \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 in sewage sludge on farm fields"},"content":{"rendered":"

PFAS chemicals are in the water supply, including our drinking water<\/a>. One way they are getting there: sewage sludge that is used as fertilizer. Pennsylvania and other states are looking to limit contamination from these so-called forever chemicals.<\/p>\n

A tour of the wastewater treatment plant<\/p>\n

One crucial pathway for PFAS to enter the environment is through sewage treatment plants, like the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority<\/a> (ALCOSAN) in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

On a rainy morning in August, Doug Jackson, the authority\u2019s director of operations and maintenance, pointed down into a series of concrete holding blocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first part of the process that we deal with addressing the majority of the human waste,\u201d said Jackson.<\/p>\n

Wastewater from about 850,000 homes, and 100 industrial sites enters the sewage treatment plant, along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, and sits in these tanks for a few hours.<\/p>\n

Once the human waste settles to the bottom, it\u2019s sent to big centrifuge machines that work kind of like the spin cycle on a washing machine, removing water from the waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spin that, and ultimately that produces a dewatered sludge product,\u201d he explained, pointing to the resulting clumpy dirt as it moved along on a conveyor belt. \u201cThat\u2019s the byproduct that we then have to dispose of.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sewage sludge is known as biosolids, a source of fertilizer at farms around the country. It\u2019s part of a pervasive environmental problem, because scientists have found that it contains PFAS. These \u201cforever chemicals\u201d can come from industrial sources that send wastewater to sewage plants; they can also come from people, after they absorb PFAS in consumer products and the environment, and pass the chemicals through their waste.<\/p>\n

The biosolids are treated for pathogens, and tested, before ALCOSAN trucks 30,000 tons of it a year to farms to spread on fields. You can even buy a bag of biosolids<\/a> from other treatment plants at Lowe\u2019s or Home Depot for the garden.<\/p>\n

Proponents say this re-use is good for the environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soil health that can be provided by land application is incredible,\u201d said Mary Baker, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She said the practice puts what would otherwise be a waste product to good use. If it\u2019s not spread on fields, it is sent to a landfill or incinerated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that we won\u2019t stop seeing as a byproduct of our society; we\u2019re not going to stop flushing anytime soon,\u201d Baker said.<\/p>\n

PFAS chemicals in the sludge<\/p>\n

PFAS<\/a>, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of thousands of chemicals that have been used in consumer products for decades. They are found in everything from non-stick pans to waterproof clothes to firefighting foam. They are known as \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because they don\u2019t break down, and accumulate in the environment, lasting for centuries. PFAS are linked to serious health risks<\/a>, including developmental delays in children, decreased fertility, and cancer.<\/p>\n

What happens to biosolids on the farm?<\/p>\n

PFAS chemicals have been found on farm fields, in the milk<\/a> from cows that graze on them, and in nearby waterways in Maine<\/a> and other states.<\/p>\n

But Pennsylvania has not done an assessment of contamination on farms in the state. Researchers at the Stroud Water Research Center in Chester County, in southeastern Pennsylvania surveyed 10 farms<\/a>. They compared fields where farmers used biosolids, with fields where they did not.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe generally found that definitely the use of biosolids, the fields with the biosolid use, had significantly higher concentrations of PFAS,\u201d said associate research scientist Diana Oviedo-Vargas.<\/p>\n

The group found that some types of PFAS chemicals moved from the land into waterways.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a couple of farms, we found that the PFAS had been migrating to the stream,\u201d she said.\u201c They were contaminating the surface water and very likely the groundwater as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, last year<\/a> the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection discovered dangerously high levels of PFAS in the groundwater and drinking water wells in Columbia County, in Northeast Pennsylvania, likely from the farm application of biosolids, the DEP said.<\/p>\n

This year, the agency issued a \u201cDo Not Eat\u201d advisory<\/a> for all fish species from portions of nearby creeks because of the PFAS contamination.<\/p>\n

States have started regulating for PFAS in biosolids<\/p>\n

Incidents like this have led Maine and Connecticut to ban the use of biosolids on farm fields entirely.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania is moving to regulate PFAS, but it is not banning biosolid use.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ensuring clean water, we\u2019re protecting the environment,\u201d said Jill Whitcomb, deputy secretary of DEP\u2019s office of water programs. \u201cAnd we\u2019re ensuring that farmers are able to use this material.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DEP is proposing quarterly testing of biosolids at wastewater treatment plants for two of the most common of these chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, before the sludge is sent to farms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are forging ahead based on what we know, and what a lot of our mid-Atlantic neighbor states are doing,\u201d Whitcomb said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be the path of least resistance for some of these waste streams coming from other states into our farm fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania is following the lead of Michigan<\/a>, which allows PFAS levels up to 20 parts per billion.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c[Michigan] found, and other states found, that 20 or less could be considered \u2018domestic\u2019, meaning it\u2019s coming from our own bodies, and it\u2019s coming out of our own bodies,\u201d Whitcomb said. \u201cSo that could be considered\u2026background.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said higher levels of PFAS are more likely to come from industrial customers of the wastewater treatment plant, and will require action.<\/p>\n

Pa. DEP and U.S. EPA proposals for PFAS in biosolids<\/p>\n

Water watchdog Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, said the DEP\u2019s proposal to allow PFAS levels up to 20 parts per billion in biosolids is too lenient.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Biden\u00a0<\/a>found human health risks in biosolids with PFAS levels at only one part per billion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really is no way to avoid the stark fact that what Pennsylvania DEP is proposing is a compromise that does still expose people to PFAS in dangerous amounts,\u201d Carluccio said.<\/p>\n

The U.S. EPA also has a proposal, but it does not include any standards or limits. It\u2019s a voluntary guidance<\/a> that recommends people who buy bags of biosolids at retail stores check with the supplier if they contain the chemicals PFOA and PFOS.<\/p>\n

It also suggests that farmers don\u2019t apply biosolids near waterways, or near children under five.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis guidance is absurd,\u201d said Laura Dumais, an attorney with the non-profit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, at a recent EPA listening session on the draft guidance.<\/p>\n

Dumais said the EPA is shifting the burden onto farmers and consumers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous and it needs to be thrown out in its entirety and replaced with actual regulations on PFOS and PFOA and sewage sludge,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Testing at the wastewater treatment plant<\/p>\n

Back at ALCOSAN, chemists test the biosolids for heavy metals and other contaminants before it is loaded into trucks and sent to farms. ALCOSAN operators say adding a quarterly test for the PFAS chemicals, as the DEP is proposing, will provide new data, and build understanding of the source of these pervasive chemicals.<\/p>\n

DEP is accepting public comment<\/a> on its biosolids proposal draft permits until Sept. 2.<\/p>\n

The Allegheny Front keeps WESA readers and listeners informed about environmental issues in Pittsburgh. Whether it’s air quality, fracking or what’s happening in our rivers, they\u2019ve got you covered.\u00a0Please consider a tax-deductible donation<\/a>\u00a0to help The Allegheny Front reach their goal of $35,000 by Aug. 31. and keep environmental journalism going strong.<\/p>\n

Read more from our partners, The Allegheny Front<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PFAS chemicals are in the water supply, including our drinking water. One way they are getting there: sewage…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-273151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}