Yorba Linda, the birthplace of Richard Nixon, has long been known for its conservative politics. But it’s also becoming a bastion of environmental protection.
The city is home to the largest PFAS treatment plant in America. PFAS stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These man-made chemicals have been used to waterproof and stainproof products for decades. They’re associated with a range of health conditions including certain cancers.
Plants like one in Yorba Linda use huge tanks filled with polymer beads that pull contaminants from the water.
“Every gallon of water pumped from the district’s wells now passes through a few of these tanks for treatment, before going to the homes and businesses of 80,000 people,” according to NPR.
Before Yorba Linda took the title, another Orange County city — Anaheim — boasted the country’s largest PFAS treatment plant. It’s now the second-largest.
“Kudos to Yorba Linda,” Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster told NPR. “We're glad to see somebody else beat [the record] because that means somebody else is addressing the issue.”
More localities will have to address the issue in the future. Under new EPA rules, water districts across the U.S. will have to monitor and clean up harmful levels of six PFAS in their water supplies. They have five years to comply with the new standards.