EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - A first-of-its-kind study found it would cost billions of dollars over the next 20 years to remove PFAS (forever chemicals) from wastewater streams in Minnesota, underscoring the need to prevent PFAS from entering the environment. 

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on Tuesday shared a new report that found technologies and expenses needed to remove and destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from certain wastewater streams across Minnesota would cost between $14 and $28 billion over 20 years, a news release says. 

"The exorbitant costs associated with removing PFAS from community wastewater systems underscores the need to address PFAS pollution long before it gets into the waste stream," said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler. "At no fault of their own, wastewater treatment facilities receive PFAS from a variety of sources and they cannot carry the burden of cleaning up the pollution. We must all focus on preventing PFAS from entering the environment in the first place."