First Northern California PFAS Treatment Facility opens in Livermore

The first PFAS Treatment Facility in Northern California is now in operation. Zone 7 Water Agency celebrated the grand opening of its Ion Exchange (IX) PFAS Treatment Facility at Stoneridge Well last week. The facility removes Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from pumped groundwater.

The new IX PFAS Treatment facility at Stoneridge will treat 6.6 million gallons of water per day. Tanks are filled with small IX resins designed to attract the PFAS in the water, thereby removing PFAS from the water and allowing delivery of clean, safe water for homes and businesses.

“PFAS have proven to be a particular challenge for water districts as the U.S. EPA and the State of California enact new standards for detecting and responding to these prevalent man-made contaminants,” said General Manager Valerie Pryor. “As part of Zone 7’s commitment to delivering safe, high-quality water, we have been actively monitoring the federal and state regulatory development progress, proactively installing the most up-to-date technology to address this issue and are now providing the Tri-Valley community with the first IX PFAS Treatment facility in the region in record time.”

The Zone 7 Board of Directors approved the Stoneridge Well upgrades in October of 2022 and construction began in February of 2023. Stoneridge Well was temporarily taken out of service in October of 2022 while the new treatment facility was installed.

Stoneridge is one of two well sites where PFAS were detected above the State Water Resources Control Board’s drinking water response levels that did not have existing treatment options. The second site at Chain of Lakes will also have IX treatment installed; construction on the Chain of Lakes facility is currently underway and expected to be complete in summer of 2024.