October 9 – What’s in the Drinking Water  –  PFAS forever contaminants METRO ATLANTA CHAPTER

OCTOBER 9 AT 6:00 PM, PICCADILLY CAFETERIA IN TUCKER

“Everyone is taking this [PFAS] seriously, This is something that is on the radar of every single public water system that I’ve spoken with.”    Ania Truszczynski, chief of the watershed protection branch at Georgia EPD

Hazardous drinking water? Although American life is largely free of drinking water borne contagious diseases, occasionally there are boil water orders because of bacteria counts. Boiling may work against infectious organisms but is ineffective against chemical contaminants. Some of these may be naturally occurring heavy metals and substances; mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, asbestos. Some synthetic contaminants are such as pesticides and organic chemicals are hazardous even at low concentrations. Recent studies by EPA and others have linked long term exposure perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) to a multitude of adverse effects on fertility, immune systems, metabolism, liver function, and pregnancy. PFAS are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do degrade or break down very slowly. A 2023 U.S. Geological Survey indicated that at least 45% of tap water supplies across the country have hazardous levels of PFAS. Testing for PFAS is expensive and the cost to fix the problem is estimated to be in the billions. New EPA proposed PFAS drinking water Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are expected to finalize late 2023

Graham Sizemore, PE, Project Engineer, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, will present on Drinking Water Strategies for PAFS at the October 9th face-to-face monthly meeting of the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers Atlanta Metro Chapter at Piccadilly Cafeteria, 2000 Crescent Centre Blvd., Tucker, GA 30084. Graham will discuss the body of research and the state of technology in dealing with PFAS.

The face-to-face gathering will start at 6:00. The meeting presentation will be recorded and available for later viewing at no cost. This presentation, like the previous presentations, will qualify for a required engineering professional development hour (PDH). Currently registered professional engineers, those engineers aspiring to become PEs, and others engaged in engineering would benefit from the presentation. Anyone in the field of engineering and members of the general public are welcome to pose questions and to learn about engineering and public welfare.        

Both F2F and later archived viewing (www.youtube.com/GSPEng) are FREE.

Graham Sizemore, PE, started with Goodwyn Mills Cawood, after completing his Clemson University environmental engineering bachelors degree in 2018. He has Biological Wastewater Operator certifications for South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia, and is a GSWCC Level II Certified Plan Reviewer. Graham, having been active with GSPE in Atlanta and Agusta, is currently on the GSPE State Board of Directors and was the 2022 State President.

Goodwyn Mills Cawood is a large architecture and engineering firms with offices across the southeast. GMC has completed numerous large capacity water treatment projects.

About The Meeting

The GSPE Atlanta Metro Chapter meetings are open to engineering professionals, students, and other interested members of the public. The meetings usually take place on the second Monday of each month, from September through June. The meetings start with F2F networking at 6:00 pm, followed by dinner and the speaker at 7:00. The presentation will be archived for later viewing on the GSPE video channel, www.youtube.com/GSPEng. Many engineers enjoy the presentations as well as earn a required Professional Development Hour.