We saw this “cross-posted” on John Earl’s “SoCalWaterWars,” and we thought, How often do we get to write something nice about Yorba Linda? And also, it’s Erin Brockovich who wrote it for chrissakes (along with another environmental journalist named Suzanne Boothby.) So with no further ado, like John WE cross-post this from The Brockovich Report:
California Dreamin’:
A Suburb Offers Hope For Others Looking To Remove Toxins
Novel Treatment Techniques Could Remove Long-Lasting Chemicals From Drinking Water.
by Erin Brockovich & Suzanne Boothby, Sept. 25, 2024
Today, we’re putting the spotlight on Yorba Linda, California. It’s a suburban town in Orange County, California, about 35 miles south of Los Angeles.
This small, sunny city with less than 70,000 people has something that thousands of drinking water systems across the country will soon need—a per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) water treatment plant.
In fact, it’s the largest plant of its kind in the nation right now.
As a reminder: In April, the U.S EPA finalized new federal limits for six types of PFAS: PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFNA, and PFHxS, which means that public water systems have five years (by 2029) to implement solutions to reduce PFAS, if monitoring shows that drinking water levels exceed maximum contaminate levels or MCLs.
The EPA set MCLs of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for Gen X, PFNA and PFHxS.
PFAS chemicals are present in many products, including cosmetics, food packaging, water-resistant clothing, firefighting foams, and anti-stick coating for cookware. A recent study identified 57,000 sites contaminated by these chemicals in the U.S. alone.
Current estimates from the nonprofit org Environmental Working Group show that about 200 million people may be drinking water contaminated with PFAS. The EPA’s own assessment shows that about 60 million people get their water from a system containing PFOA or PFOS, two of the most well-studied PFAS, at maximum levels above the new proposed limits.
Yorba Linda is ahead of the game. I love seeing a quick and thoughtful response to a pressing problem.
In February 2020, the water district had to take all of its groundwater wells offline due to new state regulations of PFAS. Once the chemicals were detected, the district revved into action, partnering with the Orange County Water District to construct a new treatment plant.
The district researched and tested many technologies that could help remove PFOA and PFOS from the water and ultimately decided to build an Ion Exchange (IX) plant.
Ion exchange is a chemical process used to remove unwanted dissolved ions in water and wastewater. To remove the ions, they are exchanged with ions that have a similar charge.
The EPA recommends water treatment technologies such as ion exchange resins, activated carbon adsorption, and high-pressure membranes for the removal of PFAS.
Impressive reporting …. disturbing history ….
Thanks for cross-posting here and helping me stay informed about my local government.