New Jersey’s identity has always been closely connected and shaped by its waterways, from the Hudson River and Delaware River to Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic coast. Protecting these waters has long been a major environmental priority, but the state’s wastewater infrastructure is facing increasing strain. Treating PFAS is one of the most demanding challenges facing New Jersey’s wastewater infrastructure. Freeing these facilities from the added responsibility of processing liquid industrial waste would alleviate pressure on the treatment process as a whole.
Public treatment plants are being asked to process growing amounts of non-hazardous industrial liquid waste. These facilities are intended to treat primarily sewage and not specialized industrial wastewaters, which can add salinity, trace contaminants, and financial burdens. In addition, some treatment plants treat waste originating from other states. This demonstrates the need for alternative waste management strategies to balance growing demands on public systems. Public wastewater utilities continue to do an exceptional job protecting public health by utilizing existing treatment technologies, and investing in testing/monitoring. However, despite these efforts, no currently available technology has proven capable of completely removing PFAS from treated wastewater or residual biosolids.
In parts of the Midwest and South, several states utilize an innovative waste management approach well suited to its geology. The states’ geologic formations allow for deep underground injection, which is one of the most tightly regulated waste management practices in the United States. The design of the injection wells allows approved liquids to safely remain thousands of feet beneath drinking water aquifers and away from surface ecosystems.
Federal regulators have recognized the value in underground injection for PFAS management. The EPA’s 2026 Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS placed underground injection control in a select group of three technologies shown to reduce the risk of environmental PFAS release, and recognized it as one of the more protective options available. For New Jersey, directing eligible waste to these facilities is a responsible choice.
Transporting waste to these approved facilities could reduce the amount of pollutants, including PFAS, entering waterways in New Jersey, maintain treatment capacity for sewage, and provide a way to control increasing infrastructure costs for ratepayers.
Interstate waste disposal may be viewed negatively by some critics. However, regional solutions are common in managing the environment. Recyclables, energy resources, and waste already move across state lines because geography often determines where these materials can be handled most responsibly.
New Jersey is a strong national leader in environmental protection. Adopting a pragmatic and science-based regional strategy would safeguard the state’s waterways, support municipalities, and ensure the appropriate tools are employed to each challenge. Underground injection is not the permanent solution. It is the bridge solution until large-scale PFAS destruction technologies become commercially viable and a complement to handle residuals once these technologies are scaled and deployed.
Cleaner water sometimes means looking beyond state lines. In this case, the greener choice for certain non‑hazardous liquids may lie beneath the surface of other states, which could ultimately support a healthier future for New Jersey.