Water is essential to life, yet protecting it is one of today’s most urgent challenges. On World Water Monitoring Day, we are sharing a preview of a story from UMass Amherst, where researchers are combining science, technology, and community engagement to improve water quality and empower future environmental leaders.

This year’s focus includes climate resilience, pollution prevention, and youth engagement in water stewardship—key priorities that align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensuring access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.

At the center of this story is Dr. Sean McBeath, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMass Amherst. His lab is pioneering decentralized water and wastewater treatment systems, with a focus on electrochemical processes for removing pollutants and generating powerful oxidants like ferrate. These innovations are helping small, remote, and underserved communities monitor and treat water where traditional infrastructure is limited.

One of the lab’s most pressing challenges is the detection and remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the persistent “forever chemicals” found in everyday products and increasingly in drinking water. In a recent interdisciplinary study, Dr. McBeath’s team partnered with local communities to collect and analyze water samples and better understand how PFAS exposure varies across regions.

This research directly supports pollution prevention and watershed management themes, helping communities trace how contaminants move through local water systems to protect them.

To support this work, the lab relies on advanced analytical instrumentation, including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry. These tools detect contaminants at parts-per-trillion concentrations, offering the precision needed to meet evolving EPA standards and uncover disparities in water quality that often affect underserved areas.

Joining Dr. McBeath is Dr. Christian Guzman and Raul Vera, a PhD student whose fieldwork and data analysis are central to the lab’s mission. Dr. Guzman’s and Raul’s passion for environmental engineering and drive to apply research in real-world settings showing how researchers are stepping up to lead the future of water protection.

Stay tuned for the full customer story, where we will explore their research in depth, the technologies powering it, and the impact it is having on communities across the country.

 

 

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