Across the nation, communities and public entities are struggling with how to best address the issue PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in our environment.
Learn more about what Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is doing to address PFAS in wastewater and beneficial biosolids and the role individuals and businesses have in helping reduce PFAS use and contamination.
We are a passionate and experienced resource recovery team that aims to protect public health and the environment.
Established in 1930 to protect the lakes and streams of the upper Yahara watershed, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District serves about 380,000 people in 26 Madison-area customer communities covering about 186 square miles. We treat about 41 million gallons of wastewater at the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant daily.
In the City of Madison, the largest community the District serves, known sources of PFAS contamination are Truax Field Air National Guard Base and the Regional Airport due the use of firefighting foams at these sites.
Work is underway by various agencies, including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Air National Guard, Dane County, and City of Madison to address this PFAS contamination. This contamination is linked to PFAS being found in stormwater discharge, area wells, and nearby surface waters.
Wastewater treatment plants are not original sources of PFAS and do not add or have the capability to remove these chemicals during the treatment process. But due to the ever-present nature of PFAS in our environment, there is undoubtedly PFAS in the wastewater our facility receives and recovers.
The District is committed to better understanding PFAS in the wastewater treatment process, helping to fill gaps in current PFAS knowledge with sampling and analysis, and doing our part to minimize PFAS in our resource recovery work.
Once the state of Wisconsin certifies labs for PFAS, the District will activate its comprehensive sampling and analysis plan for PFAS in the District’s wastewater and biosolids.
This review shows the pathways of PFAS compounds within the wastewater treatment cycle, from the collection system and to receiving streams, to fields receiving biosolids.
We will be working with our permitees and other businesses to help them better understand PFAS, whether its in their products or processes, and options for reduction or substitution.
The best way to keep PFAS out of the environment is to not use PFAS-containing products. Here’s what you can do.
Check out our fact sheets and find resources to reputable sources of information about PFAS.
PFAS are commonly found in American homes in products such as non-stick cookware, furniture, clothing, pizza boxes, dental floss and more
The District presented the results of its testing for PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in the local wastewater cycle today. The results were as expected and fall below proposed standards and existing screening levels.
The District is committed to testing for PFAS, but we also want to ensure we receive high-quality, reproducible and accurate results. To achieve that, we are waiting for lab certification for testing PFAS in wastewater.
Sign up to stay up to date on on the District’s PFAS work, including sampling and analysis results once available.