This project aims to address and mitigate PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination in Santa Rosa County’s water supply, ensuring the community can access safe drinking water and a healthier environment. We will collect information necessary for educating local authorities and community people by carrying out contamination testing in fish tissue, soil, and water sources. This data will support the community’s future advocacy for improved regulations and more effective wastewater management practices, ultimately reducing health risks and protecting the region’s aquifers from industrial and environmental contaminants.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, is a rapidly growing community in Florida’s panhandle that combines rural landscapes with urban developments and is home to several natural resources, military installations, and industrial sites. The community relies on local aquifers, especially the fragile, shallow, local Sand and Gravel Aquifer, as a source of drinking water. However, recent environmental assessments have revealed high levels of PFAS contamination in local water, soil, and fish tissue. This contamination likely originates from nearby industrial sites, wastewater effluent disposal, and military facilities. The citizen-led, science-based Santa Rosa County Watershed Protection Committee, representing local residents and concerned stakeholders, has partnered with the AGU Thriving Earth Exchange to address these environmental and public health issues.
Exposure to PFAS presents difficulties for locals, such as possible health risks, effects on the ecosystem, and contamination of essential water resources and marine life. The community is advocating for preventative measures and sustainable wastewater and industrial effluent management because there aren’t any strict federal or state laws that particularly address the wide variety of PFAS chemicals. By collaborating with Thriving Earth Exchange, Santa Rosa County can leverage scientific knowledge and assistance in developing data-driven strategies to safeguard local drinking water and advance the well-being of the community.
Sunset on Blackwater River. Photo courtesy of Carmen Reynolds
Establishing a comprehensive inventory and GIS mapping of PFAS and other industrial contaminants affecting water quality in Santa Rosa County will lay a crucial foundation for future public health initiatives, policy development, and sustainable environmental management. This GIS-based platform will serve as both a diagnostic and advocacy tool, helping community leaders, county officials, and the public to monitor contaminant hotspots, assess health impacts, and promote policy reform. By providing transparent access to data on contamination levels and affected areas, this project will enable community engagement in decision-making processes, encourage policy changes, and advocate for cleaner wastewater management and industrial practices.
The first phase will involve selecting a compatible mapping platform that integrates with existing county systems (such as Santa Rosa’s GIS map). The project team, including scientists and community leaders, will compile existing data and conduct additional sampling to establish baseline contamination levels in water sources, soil, and fish tissue across the county. Data elements will include natural resources affected (waterways, aquifers, and soil strata) and manmade contaminant sources (industrial sites, wastewater treatment facilities, military installations, and unregulated effluent disposal zones). Each contamination feature will be logged as a GIS layer, exportable for analysis and visualization in multiple formats.
This contamination map will serve as an active monitoring and planning tool. Through GIS layers, stakeholders will be able to access real-time data on contaminant levels, explore correlations between pollution sources and affected areas, and monitor the effectiveness of local mitigation efforts over time. The platform will also help prioritize community health initiatives, supporting both local decision-making and advocacy for state and federal regulations to reduce PFAS levels.
In the end, the map, database and report created will become a resource for Santa Rosa County, with the potential for expansion into predictive modeling and integration with broader community science initiatives. Our long-term project goals will include fostering local expertise in environmental health assessment, embedding regular contaminant testing and reporting into county protocols, and establishing the map as a standard tool for planning and advocacy. Over time, the project outcome will not only serve Santa Rosa County’s environmental needs but will also support a sustainable and resilient future through well-informed policies and community action.
The project is expected to run for approximately 15 months. Key milestones include:
Carmen Reynolds retired as a lieutenant colonel after 22 years in the United States Air Force. She completed her BS degree summa cum laude in Criminology & Law Enforcement, her master’s degree in business Personnel Management and a BA degree in Journalism. She was selected to run The Voyager newspaper with a staff of 20 while studying journalism at the University of West Florida. Carmen was one of the first seven female officers accepted into the Security Police field as a Shift Commander. She held three specialties during her career: Security Police, Administration and Communications, Electronics, Computers, Communications and Intelligence. She was named an Outstanding Woman of America in 1983 and distinguished with numerous base, Tactical Air Command and Air Force awards, rising to the top in the administration field. Upon her retirement in 1998 at Hurlburt Field as the Deputy Dean of the Air Ground Operations School, now the Command-and-Control Warrior School, she began volunteering for former POW, George Bud Day to obtain healthcare benefits for aging veterans, which resulted in TriCare for Life. She served in voluntary capacities on the Santa Rosa County Zoning Board, as a Holley-Navarre Fire Commissioner, the PTO Board at Holley-Navarre Middle School, its School Advisory Council, and as a mentor at Navarre High School. She was a founding member of Santa Rosa County Crime Stoppers and the co-chair of Navarre’s first-ever Cancer Relay for Life. While working as the Copy Editor at Navarre Press, Carmen received the Florida Press Association’s No. 1 award in 2016 for In-depth Journalism for her 5-part series on Veteran Suicide. She cofounded Recall Florida, an initiative to enable Florida’s 47 non-charter/nonmunicipal counties to recall local-elected officials. She serves on the citizen-led, science-based Watershed Protection Committee to protect water quality and as a volunteer board member and grant writer at the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center.
Alfred Picardi (BS MIT) began his 40–year career as an environmental scientist/engineer with the Virginia Water Control Board, US EPA, and private consulting firms, finishing off as an individual consultant for the World Bank and retiring as Environmental Performance Improvement Manager for Exelon Corporation. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Midway Water System, Inc..
Rick Schaeffer earned his AA from Okaloosa-Walton Community College and a BS in geology from the University of South Alabama. He completed an MS at Auburn University in 2001, receiving the Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence. Before completing his university studies, Rick spent over a decade as regional manager of the central United States, including Canada and Mexico for International Transport Inc. (heavy specialized division) Overseeing the Tulsa OK, Kansas City Mo. and Lincoln Nebraska terminals. Beginning in 2002, Rick served as Site Manager for Escambia County Environmental Health Department, overseeing the cleanup of 55 contaminant plumes across five counties in Northwest Florida. Transitioning to oil exploration in 2009, he worked as a site geologist on numerous wells across Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. Now retired, Rick continues to consult for small exploration companies and has dedicated the past three years to the Santa Rosa County Watershed Protection Committee, advocating for upgraded filtration systems to ensure clean, safe water for the community.
Chioma Onwumelu is a passionate geoscientist specializing in data analysis, water resource management, and environmental assessment. With a strong commitment to bridging science and community needs, she focuses on developing sustainable solutions through collaboration and research. Chioma holds a B-tech degree from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria, and a Ph.D. and MS degree in Geology from the University of North Dakota. Beyond her professional pursuits, Chioma is deeply involved in volunteering for various educational and community initiatives. Her dedication to knowledge-sharing and community engagement underscores her holistic approach to advancing the field of geoscience and fostering a more inclusive and informed society.
The community is looking for scientists with expertise in water quality and contaminant analysis to oversee the PFAS and other contaminant testing efforts. The scientists will help analyze and interpret data from water, soil, and fish tissue samples and contribute to creating a clear, community-focused report. This report will provide a comprehensive summary of the project findings and recommendations, serving as a critical resource for addressing contamination concerns and protecting public health.
GIS and Mapping Expertise
PFAS Sampling and Contaminant Analysis
Thriving Earth Exchange asks all scientific partners to work with the community to help define a project with concrete local impact to which they can contribute as pro-bono volunteers and collaborators. This work can also position the scientists and communities to seek additional funding, together, for the next stage.
