AECOM Chosen to Lead PFAS Pilot Program for Massachusetts Environmental Agency
AECOM has been selected by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to lead an innovative statewide pilot program focused on addressing one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing communities today: the treatment and destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. The initiative represents a first-of-its-kind effort in Massachusetts to evaluate advanced PFAS reduction and destruction technologies directly within municipal wastewater treatment systems, providing critical insights into how communities can better manage and eliminate these persistent contaminants.
Working in partnership with CDM Smith, AECOM completed eighteen pilot tests across multiple publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) throughout the state. These pilots were carried out within an accelerated timeframe while maintaining a rigorous scientific and operational evaluation process. The program is designed to help MassDEP identify treatment methods that can effectively remove, separate, or destroy PFAS compounds in real-world operating conditions while also assessing the scalability and practicality of deploying these technologies more broadly in the future.
PFAS have become a growing concern for environmental regulators, utilities, and communities nationwide due to their persistence in the environment and potential risks to public health. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are widely used in industrial processes and consumer products because of their resistance to heat, water, and oil. However, those same characteristics make them extremely difficult to break down once they enter the environment. PFAS contamination has been identified in drinking water supplies, soil, biosolids, and wastewater systems across the United States, leading to increased regulatory scrutiny and a heightened demand for effective treatment solutions.
Municipal wastewater treatment plants play a particularly important role in the PFAS challenge. These facilities receive wastewater from households, businesses, and industrial users, many of which may contain PFAS compounds. Traditional wastewater treatment processes are not specifically designed to remove or destroy PFAS, meaning the chemicals can pass through facilities largely untreated and potentially enter waterways, biosolids, or the surrounding environment.
The MassDEP pilot program seeks to address this issue by examining how different technologies perform across a range of wastewater treatment conditions and process streams. Rather than focusing on a single solution, the initiative uses a multi-technology, multi-site strategy that allows several approaches to be evaluated simultaneously. This provides a more comprehensive understanding of how PFAS behave during treatment and which technologies show the greatest promise for long-term implementation.
AECOM’s role includes overseeing pilot studies that evaluate emerging technologies for PFAS treatment and destruction in liquid, solid, and air streams associated with wastewater operations. These studies are intended to generate detailed performance data on how PFAS compounds move through treatment systems, where they accumulate, and how effectively different methods can reduce or eliminate them from wastewater effluent and biosolids.
According to company leadership, the program demonstrates a highly collaborative and innovative approach to solving a complex environmental problem. Sam Donelson, chief executive of AECOM’s U.S. East and Latin America region, emphasized the significance of testing multiple technologies under real-world conditions and across various treatment streams. He noted that the initiative required a team capable of rapidly deploying pilot systems while maintaining the high standards typically associated with research-level scientific evaluations.
The project also highlights AECOM’s broader commitment to advancing sustainable water management and environmental protection initiatives. With extensive experience in municipal wastewater infrastructure and PFAS-related consulting, the company is leveraging both local expertise and global technical capabilities to support communities facing increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
Doug Gove, Regional Business Line Leader for U.S. East Water, North at AECOM, explained that PFAS contamination represents one of the most complicated water-quality challenges confronting utilities today. He noted that by combining advanced treatment expertise with innovative pilot testing, the company aims to help communities identify practical and scalable solutions that can significantly reduce PFAS contamination and improve environmental outcomes over the long term.
One of the program’s most important aspects is its emphasis on operational feasibility in addition to treatment effectiveness. While many PFAS treatment technologies have shown promise in laboratory environments, utilities require solutions that can be integrated into existing infrastructure, operated efficiently, and scaled economically for broader implementation. By conducting pilots within active wastewater treatment plants, the initiative provides valuable real-world operational data that can help utilities make informed decisions about future investments.
The program’s findings are expected to have implications far beyond Massachusetts. As communities throughout the country grapple with new PFAS regulations and increasing public concern over water quality, the lessons learned from these pilot projects may help shape future approaches to municipal wastewater treatment nationwide. Utilities, regulators, and policymakers are all seeking reliable information on which technologies are most effective, cost-efficient, and adaptable for different facility types and waste streams.
In addition to supporting future regulatory planning, the initiative could help accelerate the commercialization and deployment of advanced PFAS treatment systems. Technologies that demonstrate strong performance during the pilot phase may eventually become key components of next-generation wastewater infrastructure, helping municipalities better manage contaminants while protecting natural resources and public health.
Environmental experts have increasingly stressed the importance of proactive PFAS management as federal and state agencies continue introducing tighter standards for drinking water, wastewater discharge, and biosolids handling. Programs like the one led by AECOM and MassDEP represent an important step toward building the technical knowledge needed to meet these evolving requirements.
Beyond its technical objectives, the initiative also reflects a broader shift toward collaborative problem-solving in the environmental sector. By bringing together government agencies, engineering firms, researchers, and wastewater utilities, the program creates an opportunity to test innovative approaches in a coordinated and data-driven manner.
As the pilot program progresses, the data collected from the various treatment technologies will help determine which methods are best suited for broader adoption and future infrastructure planning. The effort underscores the growing importance of resilient, science-based environmental strategies capable of addressing emerging contaminants and protecting communities for generations to come.
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