Read the full article by Lori Valigra (Bangor Daily News)
“A wastewater treatment project in central Maine that has piloted a cutting-edge system to remove forever chemicals is on hold as it seeks more money to get up and running.
The Anson-Madison Sanitary District has been working for several years with engineers to develop a centralized facility to treat waste containing forever chemicals, potentially from across Maine. The system can remove toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, from wastewater. PFAS, which are difficult to break down in the environment, have been linked to serious illnesses including kidney cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The project was announced with fanfare in 2022 as a first-of-its-kind system in Maine that can remove and concentrate PFAS from wastewater inexpensively. The system also is simpler to operate and maintain than other PFAS-removal systems, said Dale Clark, the Madison-based district’s superintendent. The goal is to develop a centralized system to clean wastewater, which typically is discharged untreated into Maine rivers.” …