The city of Fullerton and the Orange County Water District (OCWD) have installed a wellhead filtration/treatment plant to remove PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) from local well water, at the former Kimberly Clark site.

Fullerton Public Works Director Meg McWade holds plans for PFAS treatment plant at the site. Photo by Linda Whitaker

PFOA and PFOS are chemical contaminants that are prevalent in the environment and were once commonly used in many consumer products. They are part of a larger group referred to as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Due to the prolonged use of PFOA and PFOS, the chemicals are now being detected in the environment, including water sources throughout the United States.

PFAS have been detected in the Orange County Groundwater Basin.

This is the first PFAS plant installed in Orange County.

According to Derek Wieske, Acting City Engineer, “The Kimberly Well 1A PFAS Treatment Plant consists of bag filters followed by an ion exchange treatment system.  The bag filters remove sediment and extend the performance of the ion exchange resin.  The ion exchange treatment system is made of highly porous resin that act as tiny powerful magnets that attract and hold onto contaminants, such as PFAS, that pass through.  The end product will be water that has had the PFAS removed and trapped in the resin.”

The Kimberly Well 1A PFAS Treatment Plant is scheduled to come online in June 2021.