Construction site removes PFAS from water

During construction of a new convention center in Muskegon, Michigan, PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, was detected in the water being pumped out to build the foundation. Construction Simplified contacted Evoqua Water Technologies, a Xylem company, which quickly delivered a mobile solution that treated 21 million gallons (79,500 cubic meters) of water. By the end of the project, the mobile treatment solution had removed the PFAS to non-detect levels.

Muskegon, located on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, is a busy, industrial city that has long been a key shipping hub in the region. To help reinvigorate the city's downtown area, Muskegon decided to build a new convention center. The convention center, completed in 2021, connects a hotel to an arena and acts as an innovation hub on the waterfront.

The site for the convention center has a high water table, which required a dewatering rate exceeding 300 gpm (1.1 m³/min) to build the foundation. Once the water was tested, however, PFAS was detected at 41 ppt. At the time, Michigan's acceptable detection level was 16 ppt, and a PFAS treatment solution was required. Construction Simplified, the city's owner's representative, contacted Evoqua, who worked closely with Construction Simplified and the City of Muskegon to solve the problem.

"Based on Evoqua's proven experience at mitigating PFAS, and with their emergency response capabilities, we were confident we had the best partners on board," says Jeff Salowitz, Partner, Construction Simplified.

Two mobile units begin immediate PFAS treatment

Evoqua rapidly brought a mobile carbon filtration system to the site, weighing 20,000 lb (9 metric tons). The system included Evoqua's AquaCarb® S Series reactivated granular carbon, as well as three frac tanks for holding the clean water, bag filters and dewatering pumps. The city's goal was to treat the water to non-detect levels for PFAS, which was met for the duration of the project.

Environmental Resources Group (ERG), a Michigan-based environmental consulting firm, tested the treated water and verified the treatment goal was met. As the consultant for the site, they performed daily flow checks and collected weekly influent wastewater samples to monitor the levels of PFAS entering the system, which in this case was perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). ERG also tested the effluent wastewater after treatment, which proved the system's efficiency by lowering PFOS totals to non-detect levels.

"We were thoroughly impressed by Evoqua's 24-hour presence during the operation," says Jackie Freiberg, Project Manager, Environmental Resources Group - Muskegon Office. "As the environmental consultant for the city on this project, we were at ease knowing that Evoqua had the treatment system running and operational around the clock - keeping the groundwater table at a manageable level for the construction activities while treating the wastewater for proper disposal."

Over the two-month period of the project, Evoqua treated 21 million gallons (79,500 cubic meters) of water and reintroduced clean water back into the sanitary sewer system.

Learn more about Xylem's PFAS solutions, including the new MitiGATOR™ Mobile System.