Md. approves $2.5M for septic system upgrades, PFAS analysis

The Maryland Board of Public Works announced that it has approved grants of $2.3 million for upgrading eighteen counties’ on-site sewage system and $250,000 for analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). .

“These smart investments in upgrading sanitation systems will protect public health and prevent water pollution in Chesapeake Bay and Maryland communities statewide,” said Maryland Secretary of the Environment Horacio Tablada. “As part of Maryland’s commitment to understand, communicate and reduce the risk of PFAS in our state, we will do so [also] Conduct state-of-the-art PFAS sampling to identify and respond to this emerging pollutant.”

The grants, provided by the Bay Restoration Fund, will provide funding for upgrading sewerage systems to reduce the release of nitrogen, which is one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most serious pollutants.

The Board also approved funding for a Memorandum of Understanding between the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) Laboratory to study Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) contaminants.

The MoU between MDE and MDH will enable faster turnaround times and reduced costs in sampling PFAS to identify and eliminate the sources of the contaminants and their environmental impact. The Board approved a $250,000 grant to MDH from MDE using funds from the agency’s Hazardous Substance Cleanup Program.

The MDH lab has acquired state-of-the-art lab equipment and completed a rigorous multi-lab validation process by the US Environmental Protection Agency, making it a better fit for PFAS analysis than any other lab in the state.

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