Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach

Larry B. Barber; Samuel Adam Miller; Lee Blaney; Paul M. Bradley; Kaycee E. Faunce; Jacob Fleck; Malinda Frick; Ke He; Ryan D. Hollins; Conor J. Lewellyn; Emily Majcher; Mitchell A. McAdoo; Kelly Smalling

doi:10.1021/acs.est.4c12167

Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach

Environmental Science and Technology

By: Larry B. Barber, Samuel Adam Miller, Lee Blaney, Paul M. Bradley, Kaycee E. Faunce, Jacob Fleck, Malinda Frick, Ke He, Ryan D. Hollins, Conor J. Lewellyn, Emily Majcher, Mitchell A. McAdoo, and Kelly Smalling

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c12167

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Abstract

Managing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water resources requires a basin-scale approach. Predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) and stream-vulnerability scores for PFAS were determined for the Potomac River watershed in the eastern United States. Approximately 15% of stream reaches contained municipal and/or industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges that are presumptive PFAS sources, comprising from <1 to >90% of streamflow. Mean annual PEC, based on the summed concentrations of eight PFAS detected in WWTP effluents (ΣPFAS_PEC), for all stream reaches in the watershed was 3.8 ng L^–1, and stream reaches impacted by WWTP had perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) PEC of 0.39 and 0.14 ng L^–1. For locations where measured-environmental concentrations (MEC) were determined, municipal and industrial WWTP contributed 7.8% (0 to 65%) of the total annual streamflow and MEC were greater than PEC in 99% of the samples, indicating additional potential PFAS sources. The mean ΣPFAS_PEC was 9.1 ng L^–1 compared to a mean sum of PFAS MEC of 34 ng L^–1. Under mean-August low-flow, 17% and 9.4% of the water-supply intakes had maximum PFOA and PFOS PEC exceeding drinking water maximum contaminant levels.

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Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach
Series title	Environmental Science and Technology
DOI	10.1021/acs.est.4c12167
Edition	Online First
Publication Date	June 02, 2025
Year Published	2025
Language	English
Publisher	American Chemical Society
Contributing office(s)	WMA - Laboratory & Analytical Services Division
Description	15 p.
Country	United States
State	Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Other Geospatial	Potomac River