Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are shifting from a niche contamination issue to a core design constraint for water, wastewater and brownfield infrastructure, as regulators tighten limits on “forever chemicals” in soil and groundwater. Civil engineers are being pushed to integrate PFAS-specific measures such as high-pressure membrane treatment, granular activated carbon and specialised landfill liners into drainage, flood defence and remediation schemes. The trend signals more complex risk assessments, higher lifecycle costs and potential redesign of legacy assets where PFAS-impacted leachate or run-off was not previously considered.

Stormwater engineer David Schofield argues that large-scale managed aquifer recharge (MAR) using infiltration basins and recharge wells could simultaneously reduce UK surface-water flood peaks and bolster drought resilience. He points to schemes where storm flows are diverted from combined sewers into gravel-filled soakaways and deep injection wells, storing millions of cubic metres in permeable chalk and sandstone rather than building ever-larger attenuation tanks. For geotechnical and civil designers, MAR shifts focus towards subsurface storage capacity, soil permeability, groundwater mounding, and long-term water quality monitoring.

Anglo American is deploying environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling across its Bowen Basin coal operations, including Capcoal, to verify fauna using rehabilitated waste dumps and tailings areas. Environment teams collect air, water and soil samples to detect species such as microbats, small mammals and birds moving through reshaped and revegetated landforms, complementing traditional trapping and camera surveys. The approach gives mine planners finer-grained data on habitat use and succession, informing design of final landforms, drainage lines and vegetation communities for progressive rehabilitation sign-off.