Tetra Tech designed a system to treat PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) detected in the Orange County, Calif., Groundwater Basin, which provides up to 77% of the supply for local water agencies. The $3.6-million plant in Fullerton, expected to go online this summer, is one of the first in the nation to address PFAS contamination in groundwater.
PFAS chemicals, found in numerous industrial and household products, are traditionally hard to treat and are nearly ubiquitous. At sites where PFAS levels exceed state regulations, the Orange County Water District took several of its wells offline until the contamination could be remediated.