Minnesota county employs leachate treatment system to prevent PFAS contamination

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, successfully prevented the release of 6.9 billion nanograms of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) into the environment in 2024, thanks to the help of Apex Water Solutions’ WARP (Wastewater Alternative Remediation Process) System, an on-site landfill leachate treatment system that removes toxins, resulting in water that meets national drinking water standards.

“The WARP System is integral for Kandiyohi County to protect public health and the environment, allowing us to sequester pollutants onsite inside the engineered contaminant of the sanitary landfill, instead of sending hazardous and harmful substances such as PFAS, toxic metals and other carcinogens on the roads and into the waterways of Minnesota. With WARP, we removed all of them, including 100 percent of PFAS contamination,” says Ryan Badten, superintendent of the Kandiyohi County Sanitary Landfill. 

“The sequestration of 6.9 billion nanograms of PFAS in 2024 is so significant, to put it into perspective—that amount of PFAS, if released into the environment and consumed, is enough to put every person in Kandiyohi County in the EPA’s highest health risk category, 1.5 times over,” he adds. 

According to Apex Water Solutions CEO Greg Ackerson, the WARP System meets national drinking water standards, ensuring that PFAS and other dangerous chemicals are contained rather than released into our communities.

“Kandiyohi County’s leadership shows what’s possible, and this kind of forward-thinking approach needs to become the norm, not the exception,” he says. 

Apex Water Solutions, based in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, says the WARP System is the first onsite landfill leachate treatment in the U.S. that removes and sequesters toxins, producing water that meets national drinking water standards and can be safely released into the environment.