Fri, Apr 5th, 2024 - 7:15am
September 17, 2019 - 11:45pm | By Chris Larson
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the University of North Dakota, in Grand Forks, N.D., will receive $500,000 to develop practical strategies for removing legacy and emerging per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from leachate and groundwater by studying the adsorption, desorption, and biodegradation of PFAS compounds in landfills. The grant is among approximately $6 million EPA is awarding nationally to fund research by eight organizations to expand the understanding of the environmental risks posed by PFAS in waste streams and identify practical approaches to manage the potential impacts as PFAS enters the environment.
“These grants will help improve EPA’s understanding of the characteristics and impacts of PFAS in waste streams and enhance our efforts to address PFAS,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Today’s announcement is just one of the many ways we are delivering on the PFAS Action Plan – the most comprehensive, multi-media research and risk communication plan ever issued by the agency to address an emerging chemical of concern.”
Taking concrete actions to address PFAS is one of EPA’s highest priorities. EPA’s recently released PFAS Action Plan identifies both short-term solutions for addressing PFAS chemicals and long-term strategies that will help provide the tools and technologies states, tribes and local communities need to clean up sites and provide clean, safe drinking water to their residents.
