PFAS PlumeStop Barrier Project Earns 2026 NGWA Outstanding Groundwater Remediation Award

Barnstable County installs PFAS in situ barrier using Regenesis' colloidal activated carbon technology to protect sensitive water resources.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Aug. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A PFAS barrier project in Barnstable County, Massachusetts has been awarded the 2026 National Ground Water Association Outstanding Groundwater Remediation Project Award. The 617-foot in situ permeable adsorptive barrier using PlumeStop^® colloidal activated carbon achieved regulatory compliance for PFAS compounds within 90 days of installation, protecting public water supplies. Barnstable County, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., and REGENESIS^® implemented the project at a former fire training facility located within a public water supply protection area and sole source aquifer.

Decades of aqueous film-forming foam use at the fire training facility had resulted in PFAS impacts to soil and groundwater.

To address the advancing PFAS plume, the project team selected the installation of a permeable adsorptive barrier using PlumeStop. Full-scale installation was completed in 2025, with more than 600,000 gallons of PlumeStop solution injected.

 "The PlumeStop pilot test we conducted reduced PFAS concentrations in groundwater below the regulatory standards. Based on those results, we recommended that Barnstable County move forward with full-scale implementation," said Daniel Scanlon, Senior Project Manager, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.

Within 90 days after barrier installation, eighteen downgradient performance wells showed a median 99% concentration reduction based on the sum of six PFAS contaminants regulated by Massachusetts (PFAS 6) achieving regulatory compliance. It also provided Barnstable County with a practical and more cost-effective alternative to major expansion of onsite pump-and-treat infrastructure.

"We have a small pump-and-treat system that is costing the County roughly $450,000 a year. ... So, we realized that the cost-effectiveness of a permeable reactive barrier PRB was the way to go versus a pump-and-treat system, which in our case could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars," said Paul Ruszala, County Assets & Infrastructure Manager, Barnstable County.

The project demonstrates how a PLumeStop in situ retention strategy can control PFAS plume migration and reduce contaminant mass discharge without continuous groundwater extraction, aboveground treatment, and ongoing waste generation.

 "The Barnstable project shows how strong collaboration and a well-designed PlumeStop barrier can control PFAS to protect critical groundwater resources. It also highlights the broader potential of in situ remediation as a significantly lower-cost, zero-waste alternative to long-term pump-and-treat system operation. We are honored to receive this recognition from NGWA," said Scott Wilson, President and CEO of REGENESIS.

The Barnstable County project will be recognized during NGWA Groundwater Week 2026, December 8–10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About REGENESIS
REGENESIS is a global leader in environmental remediation technologies and services, providing advanced solutions for the treatment of contaminated groundwater and soil. The company develops and applies technologies for PFAS, chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, and other contaminants at sites around the world. For more information, visit www.regenesis.com.

Media Contact:
Tricia Rodewald
Vice President of Marketing
REGENESIS
[email protected]
949-218-0688

SOURCE REGENESIS