CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake resident Douglas M. Harris announced he is running for the position of Area 7 Trustee for the Yuba Community College District Board.
The district administers both Yuba Community College and Woodland Community College.
The Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College is in Area 7. Doug has served as Area 7 trustee since his appointment in March 2022.
Harris has a strong skill set to bring to the district. He is committed to representing students, faculty, staff and southern Lake County on the board.
“The purpose of a community college is to meet the career, technical, and higher educational needs of each student and the unique communities they live in,” Harris said. “Prior to my appointment to a vacancy on the Board of Trustees, I taught at the Lake County Campus for over 20 years in career-technical classes and university prep classes. This gives me insight into the challenges faced by the district’s students — and the opportunities gained by completing a certificate, associate degree or university transfer requirements.”
While teaching, Harris served on the campus’ Site Council and the Academic Senate. He also served as a negotiator in collective bargaining processes.
He has resided in Lake County for 48 years.
In addition to teaching for the district, he has worked for numerous human service agencies serving people with disabilities, seniors, and children at risk in Lake County.
Harris has served on several community boards and committees such as the Social Services Advisory Board, Habitat For Humanity Family Selection and Support Committee.
His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a Masters of Social Work from San Francisco State University.
His wife, Sissa Harris, was a longtime classified employee, faculty member, and a graduate of the Lake County Campus. Of their numerous children and grandchildren, most attended public schools in Lake County.
Asked why he would like to continue as the Area 7 Trustee, Harris said, “Promoting the efforts of all the district campuses in meeting the needs of students in our communities is my primary reason for seeking this position. Continuity on the board is important in fostering partnerships with our K-12 schools, business communities, and local governments. The district is recruiting a permanent Dean for the Lake County Campus and Chancellor for the district, making continuity doubly important. We are working to enhance course offerings for students, in online and face to face formats. The impact of fires and the pandemic make knowledge of students’ and the community’s needs and resources imperative.”
Harris deeply appreciates support for his candidacy, which he said will ensure continuation of support for our Lake County Campus and the entire Yuba Community College District.
He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities are working to locate an Upper Lake man who is under investigation for an assault.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the community in locating Arturo Pedro Gutierrez, 62.
Gutierrez is a person of interest in an ongoing investigation, authorities said.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Lauren Berlinn said Gutierrez is wanted for an assault on a female that took place late on Aug. 18.
“The Major Crimes unit is working on this case,” Berlinn said.
Gutierrez is a registered sex offender as a result of a 2012 indecent exposure conviction, according to state records.
The Department of Justice has assessed Gutierrez as high risk for reoffense.
Anyone with any information as to his whereabouts is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Central Dispatch at 707-263-2690.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council on Thursday unanimously approved the purchase of a piece of property to build a new roadway for a major commercial development.
City Manager Alan Flora asked for, and received, the council’s approval to purchase the parcel at 6540 Old Highway 53 from AmeriGas for the appraised value of $110,000.
Flora explained that the property will be used for the construction of a new public roadway and future commercial development at the city’s former Pearce Field airport off of Highway 53.
He referred to the city’s purchase, approved in December but completed early this year, of some old mini storage buildings at 6461 Manzanita Ave. and 6452 Francisco Ave. for $550,000.
The parcels are located to the west of the Highway 53 and 18th Avenue intersection, on the edge of the Pearce Field property. A new road will be constructed through one of those parcels.
As part of that development, Flora said city staff had been trying to negotiate for the property for quite some time.
He said it had been a challenge to get responses from AmeriGas, which is located on the East Coast. “We believe we’re on the right track at this point.”
The city had performed an appraisal and got a title report to speed up the process, Flora said.
“This piece of property is necessary for the 18th Avenue road construction that we’re trying to finalize the plans on right now and hope to initiate construction on that project yet this year,” he said.
He said that AmeriGas had agreed to sell property to the city for $110,000. He hadn’t yet received the final agreement from them, which he said the company had been promising for a couple of weeks by that point.
In order to keep things moving, Flora said he wanted the council to authorize him to execute the documents needed to purchase the property as soon as he gets the documents from AmeriGas.
There was no public comment before Councilman Russ Cremer moved to approve the purchase, which was seconded by Councilman David Claffey and approved in a 5-0 vote.
The council on Thursday also held the first introduction for the first reading of an ordinance to update the municipal code to reflect the city’s migration from a traffic engineer to a city engineer model, approved the use and retention of the development impact fees for fiscal year 2021-22, and discussed the proposed bylaws amendments for the 2022 League of California Cities Annual Conference.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The city of Clearlake received big news on Monday when it was notified of a multimillion dollar grant award from California State Parks.
The city of Clearlake will receive $3 million from State Parks’ Rural Recreation and Tourism Program to create the new Burns Valley Sports Complex.
“We are thrilled to hear that State Parks loves our project as much as we do!” Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora told Lake County News in a Monday afternoon email.
“This is really a transformative project for the City, and all of Lake County, to establish a beautiful new sports complex,” Flora said.
The news came as part of California State Parks’ announcement of its $46.2 million investment to build healthier communities by creating and improving recreational facilities in 25 local parks.
Funded by Proposition 68 through the Rural Recreation and Tourism and Regional Park Programs, the grants awarded will be used to enhance outdoor recreational facilities such as trails, campgrounds, multisports fields, skate and bike parks, and picnic areas.
“Congratulations to the 25 communities receiving the grant funding,” said State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “I look forward to seeing the projects come to fruition and for Californians to start enjoying them. Spending time in the outdoors not only helps us connect with our communities, but it can also support our mental and physical health. A healthier California is good for all of us.”
Clearlake’s $3 million grant tied with those given to several other communities for the largest amount awarded.
It will be used to construct a new multipurpose turf field with lighting and a walking track; a playground; ballfields with lighting — including one softball field, one baseball field, one little league field and two T-ball fields; two picnic areas; and a restroom building.
The project will be built on a portion of a 31-acre property the Clearlake City Council voted to purchase in November 2020. It’s located north of Olympic Drive, behind the Safeway shopping center.
The sports complex is a large project that requires a variety of funding sources to make it happen, Flora said.
Flora said the estimates so far have put the total project cost at about $8 million.
The $3 million announced Monday will be added to funds from Congressman Thompson, Konocti Unified School District, Lake County Tribal Health and the city to reach that $8 million overall cost, Flora said.
“I can’t wait to see the pride our youth have when we are able to host soccer and baseball tournaments right here in Clearlake in a world class facility,” he said.
State Parks said it evaluated $235.8 million in Regional Park Program funding requests for the available $23.1 million in this application cycle.
For the Rural Recreation and Tourism Program, the department evaluated $182.3 million in funding requests for the available $23.1 million.
“These park improvements are an exciting development as we invest in communities across our diverse state,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “All Californians deserve access to recreational opportunities, so that they can enjoy the outdoors and the cultural, historic, and natural resources California offers.”
Programs such as the Regional Park Program help advance the Outdoor Access for All initiative championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the Natural Resources Agency’s Outdoors for All initiative.
This effort expands outdoor access to all Californians through focused investments in open space infrastructure, outdoor programming and improvements to permit applications, with a priority of expanding access in underserved communities.
State Park’s Office of Grants and Local Services, or OGALS, develops grant programs to provide funding for local, state and nonprofit organization projects.
Since 1964, more than 7,400 local parks throughout California have been created or improved from OGALS' grant funding.
Since 2000, OGALS has administered approximately $3 billion in grant funding throughout California.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Point fire near Lower Lake has been fully contained, officials said Monday.
The fire began on Saturday evening on Anderson Road and Panorama Road, west of Lower Lake.
While it burned near homes and led to some evacuations, no structures were reported to have been damaged or destroyed.
In the last update given on Monday evening, the fire’s size remained at 14 acres, with containment at 100%.
Shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday, incident command reported over the air that all of Cal Fire’s units were coming off the incident.
Cal Fire spokesman Tyree Zander told Lake County News that the fire’s cause remains under investigation.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake Planning Commission this week will discuss a proposal to build a new adult residential care home on a property where a similar facility was destroyed due to arson five years ago.
The commission will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Submit comments and questions in writing for commission consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line.
Community members also can participate via Zoom. The meeting also can be watched on the city’s YouTube account.
To give the planning commission adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments before 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23.
On the agenda is a proposal to build a new adult residential care facility for mentally ill adults at 14139 Konocti St.
The property previously was the location of the San Sousee adult residential facility, which was destroyed in January 2017 due to a fire set by a resident, as Lake County News has reported.
Gary Shimotsu, a representative of property owner Be April Importante, is applying for a conditional use permit and associated environmental filing, categorical exemption in accordance with Section 18-18.020 to allow the development and operation of a residential care facility in the medium density residential land use district.
A public hearing on the city’s Burns Valley Development Project that was scheduled for Tuesday is being continued to the meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. — On Monday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) gathered with Lake County leaders at the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District Solar Array Project site to highlight the historic climate action included in the Inflation Reduction Act.
That action is taken from provisions authored by Rep. Thompson in the Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now, or GREEN, Act.
“The climate crisis is one of the biggest issues that our community faces, and if we do not combat this crisis and secure our planet for future generations, everything else will be for naught,” said Thompson. “That is why the Inflation Reduction Act is vital. This law represents the most significant climate action signed into law in the history of our country, and these investments are largely pulled from my GREEN Act. Lake County knows well the devastation that climate change can cause on our community, and I was proud to stand with Lake County leaders to discuss this historic law and what it means for Lake, our state, and our nation.”
Rep. Thompson, as chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures introduced the GREEN Act earlier this Congress to use the tax code to combat the threat of climate change by boldly expanding the use of renewable energy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
President Biden made the GREEN Act the basis of his climate policy which was ultimately included in the Inflation Reduction Act and signed into law earlier this month.
Rep. Thompson was joined by Lake County Supervisors Eddie Crandell and Moke Simon, Lake County Superintendent Brock Falkenberg, president of Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District Gary Graves, Trane Co. Advance Energy Program Development Lead Michael Day, and Chair of the Redwood Empire Division Sierra Club Victoria Brandon.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A late Thursday afternoon head-on crash near Upper Lake involving a pickup and a tractor trailer killed a Northshore man and injured three others.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said the wreck occurred at 4:42 p.m. Thursday on Highway 20 east of Bachelor Valley Road.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified the person who died as John Steven Alvarez Sr., 68, of Nice.
The CHP report said that at 4:45 p.m. Thursday CHP Clear Lake units responded to the wreck.
The officers arriving on scene found a 2019 Volvo tractor trailer combination driven by 75-year-old Caroll Landers of Yuba City and a 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by Douglas Warren, 64, of Lucerne, were involved in the crash.
The CHP said Warren’s passengers were Alvarez and 58-year-old William Hughes of Willits.
Warren and Hughes sustained major injuries and were transported via air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.
Authorities said Alvarez died at the scene.
Landers sustained minor injuries. The CHP said she was not transported to a hospital.
Based on the investigation so far, the CHP said it appears that Warren was traveling eastbound on Highway 20 and for unknown reasons crossed over the centerline and into the westbound lane of traffic, where his pickup collided with the front of the tractor trailer driven by Landers.
The CHP said Caltrans responded to the scene and assisted with traffic control.
The crash caused Highway 20 to be closed for approximately three hours, the CHP said.
Scotts Valley Road was used as a detour route until all lanes of Highway 20 reopened at 8:10 p.m. Thursday, according to the CHP.
All four of the crash victims were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said.
The CHP said the crash remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has new cats, including one that suffered an injury but is ready to meet his new family.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Male orange tabby
This young male orange tabby is described by staff as a “lovebug.”
He’s ready for an indoor only home. He came to the shelter with an injury to his right front leg that required an amputation, “however that has not stopped his purring or loving personality. He can be shy at first, but the minute he sees your lap, he curls up and turns on the best purr machine you have ever heard,” according to the post by shelter staff.
Stop by and meet him and see why he has everyone at the shelter wrapped around his paws.
He is in cat room kennel No. 57, ID No. LCAC-A-3709.
Domestic shorthair kitten
This handsome male domestic shorthair kitten is waiting to meet his new family.
He has an all-black coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 84c, ID No. LCAC-A-3616.
‘Olive’
“Olive” is a female domestic medium hair kitten with a black coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. A117, ID No. LCAC-A-3742.
‘Willow’
“Willow” is a female domestic shorthair cat with a gray and white coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 47, ID No. LCAC-A-3762.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male domestic shorthair kitten has a gray tabby coat with white markings.
He is in cat room kennel No. A1b, ID No. LCAC-A-3663.
Female gray tabby
This 2-year-old female gray tabby has a short coat with white markings.
She is in cat room kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-3661.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities are continuing their efforts to find a Middletown woman who was reported missing earlier this month.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Goldie Morse, 38, was reported as a missing person on Aug. 17.
She was last seen near the Black Rock Golf Course on Cobb on Aug. 13, the sheriff’s office reported. At that time it was reported that Morse did not have a cell phone and was not wearing shoes.
The sheriff’s office said it has contacted friends of Morse and they have not reported seeing her or hearing from her since Aug. 13.
“We have had a few possible sightings and are following up on everything that is provided to us,” Sheriff’s spokesperson Lauren Berlinn told Lake County News.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Lake County Central Dispatch at 707-263-2690.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors this week is set to consider the appeal of a cannabis grow, and discuss using a Northshore park as a community center during power shut-offs, continued operations of the former juvenile hall as a homeless shelter and a plan for a behavioral health treatment facility for youth.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting ID is 993 2725 9180, pass code 236702. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,99327259180#,,,,*236702#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the board will take up an appeal that the supervisors themselves approved filing regarding the Lake County Planning Commission’s approval last month of a major use permit and initial study for a cannabis cultivation project for Bottle Rock Farms FJA Trust, located at 9900 and 100300 Bottle Rock Road, Kelseyville.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier had raised the matter with the board at its Aug. 2 meeting due to several violations on the property which he said contradicted the commission’s approval action based on the county’s zoning ordinance.
At 1 p.m., the board will consider a license agreement between the county of Lake and PG&E for the temporary use of a portion of Lucerne Harbor Park as a community resource center in the event of a public safety power shut-off.
In an untimed item, staff is asking the board to discuss giving possible direction regarding the continuing operations of the homeless shelter at the county’s former juvenile hall in the wake of the announcement that Elijah House is ceasing operations of the facility in September.
Also in an untimed matter, the board will hear a presentation and discuss direction regarding a request for support for a plan for a behavioral health treatment facility for youth.
The proponents are planning to submit later this month for a $16 million grant. The presentation documents do not indicate where the facility would be located.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve continuation of proclamation of the existence of a local emergency due to pervasive tree mortality.
5.2: Approve travel exceeding 1,500 miles for Stephen Carter, assistant county administrative officer, to attend Municipal Engineering Fundamentals for Non-Engineers in Madison, Wisconsin, from Nov. 15 to 16, 2022.
5.3: Approve memorandum of understanding describing a population-based cost-sharing agreement between the county of Lake, city of Clearlake and city of Lakeport for facilitation of community visioning forums promoting tolerance, respect, equity and inclusion in Lake County, led by Nicole Anderson and Associates, LLC and authorize the chair to sign.
5.4: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Redwood Community Services Inc. for the Tule House perinatal residential services in the amount of $31,000.00 for fy 2022-23 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.5: Approve Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between the county of Lake — Lake County Behavioral Health Services as lead agency for the Lake County Continuum of Care and World Wide Healing Hands for fiscal years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.6: Approve Amendment No. 2 to the agreement between county of Lake and North Valley Behavioral Health LLC for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services and professional services associated with acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for fiscal year 2021-22 in the amount of $853,130.00 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.7: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Redwood Community Services Inc. for the Mental Health Services Act Transitional Age Youth Drop-In Center and peer support services for fiscal year 2022-23 in the amount of $202,000 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.8: Approve Board of Supervisors minutes for meetings on Aug. 9 and Aug. 16, 2022.
5.9: Approve continuation of resolution authorizing teleconferenced meetings during a state of emergency continue to exist.
5.10: Approve continuation of a local health emergency related to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) as proclaimed by the Lake County Public Health officer.
5.11: Approve continuation of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transport, and disposal of fire debris for the LNU Complex wildfire.
5.12: Approve amendment to the county of Lake COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Worksite Protocol.
5.13: Approve continuation of a local emergency due to COVID-19.
5.14: Approve continuation of a local emergency In Lake County in response to the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire event.
5.15: Approve continuation of an emergency declaration for drought conditions.
5.16: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and the county of Tehama, to house Lake County Juvenile Wards for the Term of April 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024, for an amount not to exceed $250,000 in any single fiscal year and authorize the chair to sign.
5.17: Approve the agreement between the county of Lake and BluePoint Planning for countywide parks, recreation, and trails master plan professional services in an amount not to exceed $174,930 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Adopt resolution amending Resolution No. 2021-115 to amend the Adopted Budget for FY 2021-22 by canceling reserve designations to provide interim financing to maintain financial solvency in Budget Unit 8109.
5.19: Approve the Sun Ridge Systems Software Support Services agreement for the FY 2022/23 in the amount of $50,119 for the support of its law enforcement software suite, and authorize the chairman to sign.
5.20: (a) Approve electronic submission of the FY22 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, or JAG, program application in the amount of $15,004, to provide funding for an extra help employee to assist with forensic processing and data collection services; and (b) authorize the chairman to sign all grant documents including (JAG) certifications and assurances.
5.21: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation Board of Directors, approve sewer mainline extension agreement between the county of Lake and IDC Clearlake LLC for the installation of a sewer collection line to serve parcels 041-141-350, 041-141-080, 041-141-070, 041-141-340, 041-141-510, and 041-141-460, and authorize the chair so sign.
5.22: Approve long distance travel for Lake County Water Resources Technician Corey Hustead to participate in the 2022 Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species taking place in Anchorage, Alaska, Sept. 21 to 23, 2022.
TIMED ITEMS
6.3, 9:10 a.m. Consideration of Lake County Health Services monthly update.
6.4, 9:20 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of recommendations from the Cannabis Task Force and Planning Commission regarding amendments to the zoning code pertaining to early activation of use permits.
6.5, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing, on account and proposed assessment for 725 Bass Lane Clearlake Oaks.
6.6, 9:45 a.m.: Presentation on Lake County Behavioral Health Services Mental Health Services Act Annual Update for Fiscal Year 2022-23 and approval of modifications to the three year plan spanning 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23.
6.7, 10:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of appeal (AB 22-05) of Planning Commission's approval of Major Use Permit (UP 19-42) and Initial Study (IS 19-61) for cannabis cultivation. Applicant: Bottle Rock Farms FJA Trust; Located at 9900 & 100300 Bottle Rock Road, Kelseyville (APNs 011-057-22 & 23).
6.8, 1 p.m.: Consideration of license agreement between the county of Lake and PG&E for the temporary use of a portion of Lucerne Harbor Park as a community resource center in the event of a public safety power shut-off.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Discussion and possible direction to staff on continuing homeless shelter operations in old juvenile hall.
7.3: Consideration of presentation, discussion and direction regarding Behavioral Health treatment facility for youth and grant opportunity.
7.4: Discussion and consideration of supervisor coverage of District 4 in the event of future emergencies.
7.5: Consideration of letter of support for the Meadow Point/ Upper Lake County Water District Consolidation Project.
7.6: Consideration of the following Advisory Board Appointments: Lower Lakes Waterworks District, Emergency Medical Care Committee.
7.7: Consideration of confirmation of a special meeting on Aug. 30, 2022.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): Interview of Community Development director; appointment of Community Development director.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation Pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(1) — Center for Biological Diversity, et al. v. County of Lake.
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A. Daniel Jones, Michigan State University and Hui Li, Michigan State University
PFAS chemicals seemed like a good idea at first. As Teflon, they made pots easier to clean starting in the 1940s. They made jackets waterproof and carpets stain-resistant. Food wrappers, firefighting foam, even makeup seemed better with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Today, PFAS are pervasive in soil, dust and drinking water around the world. Studies suggest they’re in 98% of Americans’ bodies, where they’ve been associated with health problems including thyroid disease, liver damage and kidney and testicular cancer. There are now over 9,000 types of PFAS. They’re often referred to as “forever chemicals” because the same properties that make them so useful also ensure they don’t break down in nature.
Scientists are working on methods to capture these synthetic chemicals and destroy them, but it isn’t simple.
The latest breakthrough, published Aug. 18, 2022, in the journal Science, shows how one class of PFAS can be broken down into mostly harmless components using sodium hydroxide, or lye, an inexpensive compound used in soap. It isn’t an immediate solution to this vast problem, but it offers new insight.
Biochemist A. Daniel Jones and soil scientist Hui Li work on PFAS solutions at the Michigan State University and explained the promising PFAS destruction techniques being tested today.
How do PFAS get from everyday products into water, soil and eventually humans?
There are two main exposure pathways for PFAS to get into humans – drinking water and food consumption.
PFAS can get into soil through land application of biosolids, that is, sludge from wastewater treatment, and can they leach out from landfills. If contaminated biosolids are applied to farm fields as fertilizer, PFAS can get into water and into crops and vegetables.
For example, livestock can consume PFAS through the crops they eat and water they drink. There have been cases reported in Michigan, Maine and New Mexico of elevated levels of PFAS in beef and in dairy cows. How big the potential risk is to humans is still largely unknown.
Scientists in our group at Michigan State University are working on materials added to soil that could prevent plants from taking up PFAS, but it would leave PFAS in the soil.
The problem is that these chemicals are everywhere, and there is no natural process in water or soil that breaks them down. Many consumer products are loaded with PFAS, including makeup, dental floss, guitar strings and ski wax.
How are remediation projects removing PFAS contamination now?
Methods exist for filtering them out of water. The chemicals will stick to activated carbon, for example. But these methods are expensive for large-scale projects, and you still have to get rid of the chemicals.
For example, near a former military base near Sacramento, California, there is a huge activated carbon tank that takes in about 1,500 gallons of contaminated groundwater per minute, filters it and then pumps it underground. That remediation project has cost over $3 million, but it prevents PFAS from moving into drinking water the community uses.
Filtering is just one step. Once PFAS is captured, then you have to dispose of PFAS-loaded activated carbons, and PFAS still moves around. If you bury contaminated materials in a landfill or elsewhere, PFAS will eventually leach out. That’s why finding ways to destroy it are essential.
What are the most promising methods scientists have found for breaking down PFAS?
The most common method of destroying PFAS is incineration, but most PFAS are remarkably resistant to being burned. That’s why they’re in firefighting foams.
PFAS have multiple fluorine atoms attached to a carbon atom, and the bond between carbon and fluorine is one of the strongest. Normally to burn something, you have to break the bond, but fluorine resists breaking off from carbon. Most PFAS will break down completely at incineration temperatures around 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,730 degrees Fahrenheit), but it’s energy intensive and suitable incinerators are scarce.
There are several other experimental techniques that are promising but haven’t been scaled up to treat large amounts of the chemicals.
A group at Battelle has developed supercritical water oxidation to destroy PFAS. High temperatures and pressures change the state of water, accelerating chemistry in a way that can destroy hazardous substances. However, scaling up remains a challenge.
Others are working withplasma reactors, which use water, electricity and argon gas to break down PFAS. They’re fast, but also not easy to scale up.
The method described in the new paper, led by scientists at Northwestern, is promising for what they’ve learned about how to break up PFAS. It won’t scale up to industrial treatment, and it uses dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO, but these findings will guide future discoveries about what might work.
What are we likely to see in the future?
A lot will depend on what we learn about where humans’ PFAS exposure is primarily coming from.
If the exposure is mostly from drinking water, there are more methods with potential. It’s possible it could eventually be destroyed at the household level with electro-chemical methods, but there are also potential risks that remain to be understood, such as converting common substances such as chloride into more toxic byproducts.
The big challenge of remediation is making sure we don’t make the problem worse by releasing other gases or creating harmful chemicals. Humans have a long history of trying to solve problems and making things worse. Refrigerators are a great example. Freon, a chlorofluorocarbon, was the solution to replace toxic and flammable ammonia in refrigerators, but then it caused stratospheric ozone depletion. It was replaced with hydrofluorocarbons, which now contribute to climate change.
If there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that we need to think through the full life cycle of products. How long do we really need chemicals to last?