Name: Gillen Curren

Date: 4/18/2025

Time (EST/EDT): 2 pm

Location: Engineering & Aviation Science, Room: EASC 1008

Remote Access: email: mees@umd.edu

Committee Chair: Dr. Joseph Pitula, UMES

Committee Members: Dr. Dong Liang (UMCES), Dr. Eguono Omagamre

Title: EFFECTS OF RUNOFF FROM FARMS TREATED WITH BIOSOLIDS AND EFFLUENT FROM WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS ON PER AND POLY-FLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) IN WATERWAYS ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND

Abstract: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as significant environmental contaminants due to their potential impact on human and habitat health and long-lasting presence in the environment. However, the levels and types of PFAS present in waterways, especially tributary streams, remains understudied. Sources of PFAS contamination into waterways include industrial activity, wastewater treatment plants, and runoff from agricultural lands treated with biosolids. The goal of the study was to identify and analyze PFAS levels in waterways on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Water samples were collected upstream and downstream of selected wastewater treatment plants and biosolids treated farms to determine the contribution of these polluting sites to PFAS concentrations in nearby waterways. Results indicate that PFAS concentrations were most dependent on nearby land use and population, with the upstream sources selected in the study having non-significant impact on PFAS concentration.