With no federal PFAS standard for biosolids currently in place, states are pursuing different regulatory approaches, creating a patchwork of requirements that is influencing industry spending and disposal decisions.

“The traditional models for biosolids management in the US, including landfilling and landspreading, are under increasing pressure. Growing public awareness of PFAS in biosolids, increasingly stringent drinking water standards, and state-level regulatory activity are bringing greater scrutiny to conventional management practices,” said Pat Byrne, an analyst at Bluefield Research.

Bluefield Research’s report — PFAS Management of Municipal Biosolids: A Shifting Regulatory Landscape — examines how policy and economic changes are shaping local decisions. PFAS concerns are introducing costs and complexities that were not anticipated a decade ago.

States take different approaches to PFAS in biosolids

States are pursuing three main approaches to PFAS in land-applied biosolids: monitoring requirements, concentration-based restrictions and outright bans on land application. Regulatory developments remain uneven across the country.

Twenty-two states have no PFAS biosolids regulations or clear movement toward introducing them. Among states with existing frameworks, differences in testing methods, concentration limits and land-application restrictions create compliance challenges for utilities and service providers operating across state lines.

In 2026, proposed bans in Massachusetts, New York and Hawaii failed to advance, while tiered restriction models passed in Maryland, Virginia, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. These models generally permit land application at lower PFAS concentrations while imposing tighter requirements as concentrations rise. Initial restrictions in states adopting tiered approaches often begin at concentrations of 20–25 parts per billion (ppb).

“Legislatures and executive agencies in more than half of US states have implemented or appear to be seriously considering new regulations for PFAS in land-applied biosolids,” said Byrne. “This represents an unusual level of regulatory activity for the sector.”

PFAS rules shift spending toward compliance and disposal

Regulatory uncertainty complicates utilities’ capital and operating expenditure planning. Bluefield Research’s analysis points to growing demand for testing, source control, dewatering and hauling services as utilities seek to manage disposal costs while retaining flexibility in their management options.

“Tiered restrictions may offer a more practical alternative to blanket bans, but they also heighten the need and cost for testing, compliance support, and measures to limit PFAS from entering wastewater systems,” added Byrne.

Larger biosolids management companies with access to disposal sites in lower-cost, less restrictive states may be better positioned to navigate the changing landscape. However, differences in state requirements introduce additional compliance costs and operational complexity, potentially offsetting some of these advantages.

Future spending will depend largely on whether states continue to permit land application under defined conditions or require utilities to adopt alternative disposal methods.

Land application remains the dominant pathway

Despite increasing scrutiny, land application remains central to US biosolids management. It offers a relatively low-cost disposal route while returning nutrients and organic matter to the soil, and no alternative is currently positioned to replace it at scale.

Landfilling faces constraints related to material moisture and tipping fees, while incineration capacity remains limited. Only 56 US wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operate sludge incinerators, concentrated largely in the Northeast and Midwest. Emerging technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification offer potential alternatives but remain expensive and have yet to achieve widespread commercial adoption for biosolids management.

“It is important to recognize that PFAS regulations are not eliminating land application or causing an overnight transformation of municipal biosolids management,” said Byrne. “Land application may become more restricted and costly for some utilities, but it is likely to remain an important management pathway for the foreseeable future.”

As states refine their approaches to biosolids management, utilities and service providers will need to balance compliance requirements against the economics of available disposal options. In the near term, market opportunities are likely to center on PFAS testing, risk management and cost control, alongside solutions that preserve flexibility across disposal pathways.

Every summer, visitors descend on Elk Rapids in northern Michigan, US, increasing the demands on its wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Seasonal residents, a cherry processor and a brewery push daily flows to as much as 1.55 million litres, nearly double the winter level. With just two staff members running the plant and a third due to join, managing operational data efficiently is essential.

When Lane Peterson joined the Elk Rapids Public Works Department as lead operator, he found a system built around Excel spreadsheets, separate folders and manual reporting. At his previous facility in Traverse city, he had used Hach WIMS, a data management platform for water and WWTPs.

Peterson turned to Rio, a cloud-based platform developed by Aquatic Informatics, which, like Hach WIMS, is part of the Hach portfolio. He describes it as a more lightweight, mobile and affordable option for a plant of Elk Rapids’ size.

Consolidating operational data

Previously, data from residential flows and the plant’s two industrial contributors were stored separately. Rio brings these records together, allowing Peterson to generate monthly reports, monitor trends and compare industrial and residential loading.

Custom spreadsheets and graphs help him track lift station runtimes, influent loading and seasonal flow variations. Comparing flow rates with pollutant concentrations can also help identify unusual conditions. High flow with low pollutant loading may indicate relatively clean water entering the system, while low flow with high loading can signal a potential discharge requiring investigation.

The platform has also streamlined monthly reporting to Michigan’s MiEnviro portal. Peterson can copy figures from its spreadsheets into the online system and verify them, rather than re-entering data manually. He is also exploring whether pollutant-loading records could support surcharge calculations for industrial contributors.

Managing seasonal changes

Daily flows at the plant can fall to around 760,000–950,000L winter and rise to approximately 1.55 million litres during peak summer weekends. The extended-aeration lagoon system has detention times averaging about 80 hours in summer and up to 110hrs in winter.

The colder months bring a different operational challenge: reduced organic loading can leave the microorganisms responsible for biological treatment with insufficient nutrients. The team therefore avoids wasting activated sludge from November to March, helping to preserve the plant’s treatment capacity.

It also doses the lagoons with nutrient-rich packets supplied by EnviroZyme, containing phosphorus, nitrogen and supplemental microorganisms. Peterson uses Rio to record dosing and monitor retention times as part of the plant’s operational management.

Supporting quality control and staff training

With a new laboratory technician learning the plant’s processes, automated checks have become useful for both training and quality control. The software flags results outside configured limits using red and yellow indicators and can send email alerts when readings require attention.

Peterson has also configured quality assurance and quality control checks for standards and duplicate samples. These help the technician identify potential inconsistencies during data entry, reducing the need for constant supervision while allowing issues to be investigated earlier.

Cloud access means Peterson can receive notifications when he is away from the plant, giving him visibility into results that may require follow-up.

Using operational data to plan upgrades

Without flow meters at its lift stations, Elk Rapids relies on pump runtimes recorded during weekly inspections to monitor system behaviour. Peterson uses these records to look for possible infiltration during rainfall and investigate changes in pump performance.

Longer-than-usual runtimes, for example, may indicate a blockage or additional inflow entering the system. Over time, these observations can help the team identify recurring problems and build an evidence base for infrastructure investment.

Peterson hopes to use the data to support requests to the local council for upgrades, including a new blower or other equipment. The aim is to connect operational observations with a clearer account of when investment is needed and why.

Building a longer-term record

The plant’s next step is to upgrade its supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, which still runs on Windows 7 and cannot currently integrate with Rio. Once the system is updated, Peterson hopes to import readings at 15-minute intervals, providing greater insight into overnight events and treatment performance.

He also plans to import historical records to strengthen seasonal trend analysis and inform decisions about chemical dosing and plant operations.

For a facility with such a small team, centralised records have implications beyond reporting efficiency. They can help preserve operational knowledge, support staff training and allow colleagues to take over more easily when someone is unavailable.

At Elk Rapids, the shift away from disconnected spreadsheets is helping turn day-to-day measurements into a more consistent record of plant performance — one that can support both immediate operational decisions and longer-term infrastructure planning.

The development builds on more than 30 years of membrane technology expertise and forms part of Veolia’s broader strategy to adapt its solutions to changing regulatory and market conditions. The company will continue to offer its existing PVDF-based membranes alongside the new alternatives, allowing customers to select technologies suited to their operating environments without compromising on performance.

The expansion reflects Veolia’s ambition to anticipate regulatory shifts and diversify its technology offering, particularly in Europe, while maintaining its global position in water treatment. Its membranes are used in drinking water production, wastewater treatment and water reuse applications across municipal and industrial markets.

“By expanding our membrane technology portfolio, we’re enabling customers to navigate evolving regulatory landscapes without compromising on performance,” said Anne Le Guennec, CEO of Veolia’s water technology activities.

The new membranes will be manufactured at Veolia’s facility in Oroszlány, Hungary, and introduced as regulatory requirements and market conditions warrant. The facility will complement the company’s existing manufacturing footprint across North America, Asia and Europe, supporting its ability to deliver solutions tailored to regional needs.

The move aligns with Veolia’s GreenUp strategic programme, positioning portfolio diversification as a means of strengthening its responsiveness to regulatory change and customer demand. Rather than replacing its established PVDF-based technology, the company is broadening its options to support customers across different regulatory environments as requirements for water treatment technologies continue to evolve.

Sébastien Picollo is operations manager at SATEG, a subsidiary of SAUR that distributes drinking water to more than 35,000 subscribers across nearly 200 municipalities in the Pau region of south-western France.

SAUR operates six drinking water production plants supplying several large reservoirs, with an annual production volume of 8.5 million m³. The distribution network spans 1,200km and comprises predominantly cast iron and asbestos-cement pipes in nominal diameters of DN100, DN150 and DN200, alongside PVC pipes in smaller sections ranging from DN60 to DN110.

Repairing a suspended pipeline in Arzacq-Arraziguet

SATEG was notified of a leak on a pipeline running alongside a bridge and crossing a river in Arzacq-Arraziguet, a village of 1,093 inhabitants in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of south-western France.

The affected section was a suspended DN200 steel pipe forming part of a network consisting largely of asbestos-cement pipes. The leak, visible from the road, was discharging water at 15m³/h under a pressure of 11 bar.

Isolating the pipeline was not possible, as it supplied several nearby farms. Draining the pipe was also not an option, making conventional welding impractical while water remained in the line. Access was further complicated by the pipe’s position above the river.

SATEG needed to restore the pipeline quickly while minimising service interruptions and ensuring the safety of its repair crew. An aerial work platform was deployed to provide safe access to the suspended pipe. With two other leaks requiring attention that day, the team also needed to complete the repair efficiently.

SATEG selected Krausz’s Repamax permanent repair sleeve, citing its ease of installation and reliability under high-pressure conditions. The sleeve is available for nominal diameters ranging from DN40 to DN1800. For this application, a 210mm-wide sleeve was selected. Although the repair involved a steel pipe, the product can also be used on asbestos-cement pipelines.

A pressure-assisted seal without welding

The Repamax sleeve offered an alternative to welding, which was unsuitable for a live pipeline that could not be drained. Its lightweight construction and clamping mechanism allowed the crew to handle and install the sleeve without substantial additional support.

The sleeve’s radial closure design and sealing system also helped reduce the risk of installation errors. These features were particularly important because the pipe remained pressurised throughout the repair.

According to Picollo, the installation process was straightforward compared with older repair sleeves that used rigid rubber gaskets and did not consistently achieve a reliable seal.

The sleeve incorporates a hydraulically pressure-assisted gasket that expands as internal water pressure increases, helping maintain the seal. Its design also accommodates up to three degrees of dynamic deflection at each end, helping reduce the risk of future damage associated with heavy traffic on the bridge and temperature variations.

The absence of welding and the use of fully stainless-steel components provide corrosion resistance, making the sleeve suitable for demanding water infrastructure applications.

Reducing repair time and service disruption

For water network operators, repairing leaks on live pipelines presents operational and safety challenges, particularly where isolation is not possible and access is restricted. Equipment that enables a reliable repair without draining the pipe can reduce both service disruption and the time crews spend working in potentially hazardous conditions.

Picollo said the team completed the repair in 30mins, allowing it to move on to the other leaks scheduled for the day.

The Repamax sleeve can be installed either as a push-fit connection between pipes or wrapped around a damaged section to carry out a repair. Its versatility and wide diameter tolerance allow it to accommodate different pipe sizes and applications across water and wastewater networks.

By covering a broad range of diameters and serving both connection and repair functions, the sleeve can also reduce the need for operators to stock separate coupling and wrap-around repair products, potentially lowering inventory costs and storage requirements.

Bentley Systems has announced the winners of its 2026 Year in Infrastructure (YII) Awards, with projects from across Asia-Pacific recognised for applications of digital twins, AI, geospatial modelling and digital delivery in infrastructure projects.

The awards were announced on 8 Oct 2026 during Bentley Systems’ YII event in Singapore, which brought together infrastructure professionals from around the world. More than 300 projects from organisations in 53 countries were nominated across 12 categories, with winners selected by an independent judging panel.

The APAC region featured prominently among this year’s winners. India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Australia each secured category awards, while Singapore-based T.Y.Lin International was among the recipients of Bentley’s Founders’ Honours for its work on the North-South Corridor.

The regional results reflect a broader shift in infrastructure delivery towards connected digital workflows and AI-enabled analysis, as major projects face increasing demands around efficiency, resilience and sustainability.

Cate Lochead, chief marketing officer at Bentley Systems, said the finalists had moved beyond simply digitising existing workflows.

“By connecting data across lifecycle phases and engineering disciplines, they used AI to unlock potential that was previously out of reach.”

Lochead added that the shift towards AI-enabled infrastructure delivery requires an open ecosystem in which professionals can connect data and their preferred software to support faster decision-making.

Among the APAC category winners was Pinnacle Future Build of India, whose Pinnacle Infotech Digital Twin Madurai Campus won in Cities and Facilities. Aboitiz Renewables of the Philippines won the Geospatial and Reality Modeling category for GeoShield, while APD Global of Australia was recognised in Transmission and Distribution for its AI-driven digital delivery work on the Clean Energy Link-North renewables project.

Indonesia also featured prominently, with Wijaya Karya Bangunan Gedung (WIKA Gedung) winning Structural Engineering for its work on Jakarta International Stadium’s retractable roof.

China’s South-to-North Water Diversion (Chongqing) New Energy Development Co and POWERCHINA Zhongnan Engineering Corporation won Energy Production for the Chongqing Yunyang Jianquan pumped storage digital power station.

2026 YII Awards — Category winners

APAC projects recognised with Founders’ Honours

Bentley also awarded 17 projects with Founders’ Honours, selected by the company’s founders and executives to recognise projects and organisations aligned with its stated purpose of advancing infrastructure and quality of life.

The APAC contingent included projects from India, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Singapore engineering consultancy T.Y.Lin International received the Ground-Informed Design honour for its work on the North-South Corridor’s 800m-long dual three-lane road tunnel.

India’s WSP Global was recognised under Connected Data for its iTwin AI project lifecycle intelligence platform, while Almondz Global Infra Consultant received the ‘Digital twin at scale’ honour for NAKSHA.

Indonesia’s Hutama Karya was recognised for the Parliamentary Complex of Nusantara under Constructioneering, while the Philippines’ Maynilad Water Services received the ‘Resilience/ Sustainability — Securing our water future honour’ for scaling leak detection from district metered areas to system-wide analysis.

With the awards spanning transport, energy, water, construction and urban infrastructure, this year’s results point to the increasing role of connected data and digital modelling across the infrastructure lifecycle — with AI emerging as an additional layer for analysis, optimisation and project delivery.

For APAC, the breadth of recognised projects also reflects the region’s ongoing investment in large-scale infrastructure and the digital systems being developed alongside it.

The company has appointed Hari Prasad as managing director, India, where he will oversee its expansion across the semiconductor, data centre and energy sectors. Prasad brings nearly 30 years of experience in water technology, most recently serving as general manager, industrial water at Pentair, and previously holding senior roles across India, the Middle East and Africa.

The new contracts cover ultrapure water (UPW), wastewater treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems. They include a repeat award from a global chipmaker for the expansion of an existing fabrication facility, pointing to continued demand for water infrastructure as India’s semiconductor manufacturing capacity grows.

Gradiant said customers selected its systems based on water recovery rates, ZLD performance and project execution timelines. The projects will support manufacturing facilities that must meet India’s increasingly stringent industrial wastewater discharge requirements while maintaining reliable water supplies for production.

“India is fast becoming one of the most important places to build the AI supply chain, from chips to circuit boards to solar cells,” said Prakash Govindan, CEO of Gradiant. “When a chipmaker comes back to us for its next expansion, that is the strongest endorsement we can get. With Hari’s leadership and an engineering team in India that serves customers here and around the world, we are well placed to be the single accountable water partner for that build-out.”

The expansion also includes additional hiring across engineering, project execution, operations and digital functions. Recruitment will support Gradiant’s India operations as well as its Gradiant Engineering Center in Coimbatore, which provides engineering support for projects globally.

The company said its India orders are on track to more than double this year, with revenue expected to more than triple. The growth comes as India expands domestic manufacturing capacity in semiconductors, electronics and renewable energy, industries where water treatment and reuse are critical to plant operations.

“Our orders in India are on track to more than double this year, with revenue set to more than triple,” said Prasad. “A fab or a solar plant can’t run a single shift without water, and the ZLD rules here leave no room for shortcuts. That is exactly where Gradiant wins, and with the pipeline in front of us, we need more engineers to keep up.”

For Gradiant, the India expansion increases its exposure to several of the country’s fastest-growing industrial segments while positioning its local engineering and project delivery capabilities to serve both domestic and international projects.

The awards, now in their third decade, recognise infrastructure projects using Bentley software to address engineering and delivery challenges. This year’s finalists offer a useful snapshot of where the sector is heading: Bentley says 24 of the 36 projects reported using AI in some form, while 22 demonstrated strong or supporting evidence of a connected digital foundation.

The projects were selected from more than 300 submissions representing 53 countries, with finalists assessed on the innovation behind their projects, the challenges addressed and the results achieved. Their work ranges from digital twins and AI-enabled design to geospatial intelligence, flood protection, renewable energy and connected subsurface modelling.

The awards reveal about the convergence of physical infrastructure and digital systems. The shortlist includes projects involving water networks, flood resilience, renewable power, electricity transmission, transport and data-driven construction — areas where digital models and AI are increasingly being positioned not simply as design tools, but as ways to make infrastructure more resilient and responsive.

The regional spread is also notable. Singapore, Indonesia, India, China, the Philippines and Australia all feature among the finalists, reflecting the scale of infrastructure development and digital adoption taking place across Asia-Pacific.

APAC finalists to watch

The finalists will present their projects during Bentley’s YII event at Fairmont Singapore on 6 and 7 Oct 2026. The presentations will cover the engineering context behind each project, how it was delivered, the digital methods employed and the results achieved.

Bentley will also present Founders’ Honors, selected by the company’s founders and executives to recognise projects aligned with its stated purpose of advancing infrastructure for better quality of life.

The technology, supplied by IXOM Watercare, is intended to address a challenge that can affect the performance of downstream PFAS treatment. DOC can compete with PFAS for adsorption sites, reducing the capacity of treatment media. Removing the organic material earlier in the treatment train is therefore intended to improve the efficiency of subsequent PFAS treatment while also reducing compounds that contribute to disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation.

“Based on pilot study results, IXOM Watercare’s MIEX system has proven to be effective at removing the organic contaminants that are not only precursors that cause high levels of DBP formation in the finished water, but also interfere or reduce the capacity of the PFAS removal solutions,” said Ryan Neyland, vice-president at engineering firm Tata & Howard.

The treatment train will combine magnetic ion exchange with GreensandPlus pressure filtration and an organo-clay PFAS removal media. The approach reflects the need for utilities to address multiple water quality challenges within an integrated treatment process, rather than treating PFAS removal as a standalone step.

The magnetic ion exchange system uses a fluidised bed process and regenerable resin to continuously remove DOC from the water stream. Automated resin regeneration is designed to maintain removal performance while limiting operator intervention.

Attleboro, a city in Bristol County in the US state of Massachusetts, is developing the new plant as requirements around PFAS and other drinking water contaminants become more stringent. Massachusetts established a state-enforceable maximum contaminant level for six PFAS compounds in drinking water in 2020, while federal requirements are set to introduce additional reporting obligations from 2027 and enforcement of federal PFAS regulations from 2031.

The Wading River WTP is currently in the early stages of construction, with the magnetic ion exchange system expected to be operational by summer 2028.

For Attleboro, the project illustrates how treatment sequencing can influence the performance of PFAS removal. By controlling organic material upstream, the city aims to reduce DBP precursors while preserving the capacity of downstream treatment processes.

The Victorian government announced the new rules, saying data centres would remain important to the state’s economy but must not place significant pressure on local electricity and water resources.

Under the new framework, data centres will be prohibited in residential areas and subject to a mandatory 150m buffer from houses. Operators will also be required to match new electricity demand with additional generation and cover the costs of associated network upgrades.

Cooling systems will be restricted to recycled or non-drinking water, while data centre developers will be required to “bring their own renewable energy supply”, according to the state government.

“Data centres are vital to Victoria’s economy, but we need to make sure they don’t put pressure on local water and electricity supplies,” the government said.

The measures come as Australia seeks to expand its data centre capacity to support rising demand from cloud computing and AI, while addressing concerns over the infrastructure and resource requirements of large-scale facilities.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been pushing for national standards for data centres as the federal government seeks to balance investment in the sector with concerns from local communities.

Westpac Banking estimates that data centre investment in Australia could reach A$225bn (US$160bn), with the majority of spending expected over the next three years.

The platform is the latest addition to the Hach WIMS platform and integrates SCADA, laboratory, operational and simulated data within a single environment. Powered by wastewater modelling software and predictive digital twin technology, it allows operators to forecast treatment outcomes up to 24 hours in advance and test process adjustments virtually before implementing them at the plant.

The technology is intended to move wastewater operations beyond reactive troubleshooting by helping facilities identify performance risks earlier, validate potential interventions and optimise existing infrastructure. Operators can evaluate individual treatment stages against regulatory compliance, sustainability and cost objectives using real-time event detection and process performance validation.

“Traditional systems often highlight issues during or after they occur,” said Megan Baxter, general manager at Aquatic Informatics. “This limits the ability to fix issues quickly which can result in plant downtime and costly solutions. With WIMS Process Manager, wastewater facilities can view dynamic, virtual replicas of physical plant processes.”

According to Aquatic Informatics, facilities currently using WIMS Process Manager have recorded reductions of up to 20% in energy and chemical consumption through more precise dosing and optimised aeration setpoints. The company also reported reductions of up to 35% in nitrous oxide emissions, demonstrating how process optimisation can deliver both financial and environmental gains.

Energy use is a significant operating cost for wastewater treatment facilities, especially for aeration-intensive biological processes. The ability to model changes before they are introduced could help utilities lower consumption without compromising effluent quality or regulatory performance.

“WIMS Process Manager allows us to model changes in advance, and helped us identify opportunities to reduce aeration energy costs while keeping effluent quality well within target limits,” said Tanner Thorson, wastewater plant superintendent in Louisville, Colorado. “The digital twin will also help inform decisions related to our upcoming plant expansion.”

Beyond day-to-day optimisation, the technology could support longer-term infrastructure planning by allowing utilities to simulate operational changes, assess capacity constraints and evaluate plant expansion scenarios before committing capital.

WIMS Process Manager is now available across the Americas, Australia and Europe. Aquatic Informatics will demonstrate the platform at WEFTEC at booth #3814.