December 2, 2019 
updated March 23, 2020

Report from WEF Biosolids Convening Session

NEBRA was invited by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) to attend a “Biosolids Convening” meeting of regulators, utilities, biosolids management companies, researchers, consultants, and biosolids associations like NEBRA from around the country. The two-day meeting was held near the WEF offices in Alexandria, Virginia, November 20th and 21st. There were about 60 attendees in total.

The meeting began with a panel discussion on national perspectives with speakers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), DC Water, and WEF. All three organizations have prioritized work on biosolids programs as a result of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) -- especially PFAS. EPA risk assessments are well underway for PFOA and PFOS, and there will be a lot more work coming out of EPA soon including a screening model to prioritize risk assessments for the remaining 4,800 or so PFAS compounds. After nearly a decade, EPA will be hosting a meeting with state and tribal biosolids coordinators in early 2020 [subsequently postponed to fall 2020]. EPA is working on a process for addressing resource recovery programs which were not contemplated by the Clean Water Act Part 503 regulations for use/disposal of biosolids. Certain states are leading in the area of resource recovery and beneficial reuse programs, including California and Washington, driven mostly by regulations for addressing healthy soils and climate change, where biosolids play an important role.

After a brief review of the negative findings in the November 2018 Office of Inspector General report on the effectiveness of EPA’s Part 503 program with respect to land-applied biosolids, the group dug into current issues with biosolids programs. The issues fell into three main themes:

1. Program Needs
2. Communication Needs
3. Research Needs

The group identified major gaps in each area as well as suggested actions to address those gaps. The recommendations for research will be directed by WEF to the Water Research Foundation for follow up. Major program recommendations to be implemented by numerous stakeholders in collaboration with as many interests as possible include:

• Elevating biosolids products (quality) and public acceptance
• Updating the 503 regulations
• Developing processes for dealing with CECs based on sound science, source control, and pretreatment requirements
• Increasing regulatory oversight and compliance assistance activities
• Addressing societal acceptance of biosolids use, and
• Identifying next generation management options.

A long list of suggested actions were compiled from brainstorming around each of the three themes using the World Café Discussion model. The meeting was facilitated by Ross Strategic, which will be compiling meeting notes and, especially, recommended actions to be available in early 2020. In the interim, WEF is drafting a letter to EPA offering WEF resources and assistance and suggested topics for discussion at the upcoming meeting with states.

See - WEF Convening documents at the NEBRA Members’ page (members contact NEBRA for access).