ASCE Gainesville Branch January 2026 Lunch & Learn

Presentation Description- The City of Zephyrhills has been investigating the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) throughout their system for nearly a decade. Between 2014 and 2016, the City tested its water system as part of the EPA UCMR3. The result of their test indicated the presence of PFOA and PFOS, with some levels detected above the EPA-established limits of 4 nanograms per liter.

Water used by the City’s customers is discharged to the wastewater collection system and into the Wastewater Treatment Facility before being conveyed to land application or groundwater recharge for effluent. Studies have shown successful treatment results from generated ferrate solutions in removing organics and some CECs. The City wants to test the effectiveness of the Ferrate Treatment Process in reducing PFOA and PFAS in wastewater discharges to and from the WWTF; consequently, removing CECs and protecting groundwater resources.

Four locations at the wastewater plant were identified for Bench-Scale Pilot Testing:

- influent into the headworks

- influent to the chlorine contact chamber pre-disinfection

- effluent from the CCC post-disinfection

- solids from the waste activated sludge

Bench Testing was performed September 2025 and Influent and Effluent samples were collected and tested to show the concentrations of various analytes pre- and post-ferrate treatment to determine the efficiencies of the tested process streams.

This presentation will discuss the approach and results from the Bench Testing performed September 2025, preliminary results and analysis, and the next steps toward a full-scale pilot.

Presenter's Bio- Sean Menard is a Project Engineer with Jones Edmunds & Associates, Inc.

He graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Minor in Mathematics.

He has worked with Jones Edmunds since 2015 in roles as an Engineer Intern, Engineer, and Department Manager. After serving as Department Manager for 2 years, Sean wanted to focus more on technical design and engineering. He returned to a Project Engineer role and has primary strengths in hydraulics, pump design, and general wastewater design engineering including water quality, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities. He has served as Engineer of Record for various projects across the state of Florida including pump stations, wastewater treatment plants and their components, transmission pipelines, water and wastewater disinfection systems, underground injection control well surface facilities, and construction activities.

Nicole McCabe is an Engineer Intern at Jones Edmunds, working on water/wastewater and water resources projects. She earned her environmental engineering degree from the University of Central Florida. Over the past year, Nicole has contributed to a range of projects involving system modeling, plant design, and lift station design, with a particular interest in process operations and treatment technologies. She is passionate about developing solutions to challenges that protect public health and the environment.