The specifics
The amended engineering contract with Brown and Caldwell was approved in the Jan. 28 meeting for $654,588, which brings the total contract to $9.3 million, according to city documents.
PFAS have unique chemical properties and are often used to keep food from sticking to cookware. They also make clothes, carpets and furniture resistant to water and stains. The chemical has been used since the 1940s in common household and commercial products, according to the city website.
Brown and Caldwell, a Dallas-based engineering firm, will provide a final design for treatment for the city-owned Fort Worth Southeast Landfill, where wastewater contained PFAS and was discharged into the collections system, according to documents.
Stay tuned
The latest amendment aims to provide treatment technology review and selection of treatment technology to help PFAS and provide a demonstration facility that can showcase how to evaluate PFAS reduction and removal options, according to city documents.
A November EPA report states PFAS are considered an “urgent threat" due to the health complications it can cause, including certain types of cancer and organ damage, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The background
The initial contact with Brown and Caldwell was approved on Dec. 12, 2023, for $1.3 million to conduct systematic sampling and testing phases to help develop a treatment strategy to remove PFAS, according to city documents.
Additional engineering services were approved at the June 11, 2024, council meeting for $1.7 million and at the Dec. 10, 2024, meeting for $5.5 million.
Funding for the project is within the water and sewer capital projects funds, according to city documents.
