Michael Nicholls

🏛️ A major legislative shift overseas has redefined who pays for legacy PFAS contamination. The State of Wisconsin has enacted a $125 million funding package that includes an innocent landowner exemption. This legislation shields property owners from the financial and legal liabi

⚖️ Operating within a NSW declared catchment area will soon carry higher legal and financial risk. The NSW Government has finalised public consultation for the proposed Water NSW Regulation 2026. This framework replaces the existing regulation in September 2026 and signals an inc

🚜 Liability associated with agricultural biosolids is escalating from a regulatory issue to potential federal litigation. In the US, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has filed a federal appeal to compel the EPA to regulate PFAS in sewage sludge under the Clea

🌍 The global technology boom has collided with groundwater protection frameworks. The European Commission has launched a targeted revision of the EU Water Framework Directive. Driven by the new RESourceEU Action Plan, this legislative review aims to secure domestic supplies of ra

🧯 53,000 litres of concentrated legacy AFFF have been mineralised into clean water. The Ohio EPA has deployed commercial-scale supercritical water oxidation to destroy stockpiled PFAS firefighting foam from 118 regional fire departments. By using high heat and pressure, the syste

♻️ High-visibility workwear is essential for site safety, but its water-resistant coating makes disposal a compliance liability. Historically, these heavily treated industrial textiles have been difficult to process. They typically end up in landfill, where persistent fluorinated

💧 Managed Aquifer Recharge is necessary for regional water security, yet it introduces significant liability if source water quality changes unexpectedly. The international MAR2PROTECT consortium recently detailed its new M-AI-R Decision Support System at the TIAC 2026 symposium.

The methodology for assessing contaminated land is moving away from reactive field sampling. New research published in Artificial Intelligence and Environment outlines how machine learning models are shifting our industry toward predictive precision. The study describes the trans

Can the high cost of treating PFAS-contaminated soil be offset by selling recovered chemical byproducts? Managing persistent fluorochemicals has historically been a significant sunk cost for developers and infrastructure projects. Efforts have largely focused on containment, filt

🏛️ A $1.5 billion legal claim and a United Nations intervention have altered the stakes for legacy contamination. Traditional Owners from the Banjima nation have escalated the fight to remediate Wittenoom to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Australia’s most notorious asbest