Sentinel Water Solutions is committed to helping water utilities and industry meet current and emerging PFAS drinking water standards with scalable, sustainable and right-sized solutions.
Meeting new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) drinking water standards poses unique challenges for utilities with small well sites. Many of these systems have limited storage capacity, lack redundant supplies, and operate on tight budgets, making downtime and complex media exchanges especially disruptive.
Sentinel Water Solutions is a full-service provider of PFAS pilot testing, treatment systems, and turnkey media/vessel management solutions for public facilities, industrial sites, and municipal water systems. With a focus on reliability, rapid deployment, and regulatory confidence, Sentinel has designed a portfolio of solutions tailored to the realities of small site operators, with an emphasis on speed, simplicity, and sustainability.
Replace entire container with pre-cleaned medium
Replacement of traditional GAC and ion exchange media often requires heavy equipment, on-site media transfer equipment, and wastewater treatment capabilities for backwash and rinse water. For small power companies, this can be costly, disruptive, and in some cases unfeasible.
Sentinel offers pre-filled and pre-cleaned containers to minimize system downtime. Once a vessel is depleted, it is completely replaced, minimizing the need for heavy trucks and on-site carbon transfer equipment. This approach is:
Reduce traffic and heavy equipment in residential areas and space-constrained locations. The need for sewer connections and temporary storage of wastewater is reduced. Reduce downtime. This is an important element for non-redundant systems.
Packaged “plug and play” system
For operators facing new compliance deadlines, Sentinel offers modular treatment skids and containerized systems that can be dropped into place, quickly connected, and brought online without extending construction schedules. These packaged units are pre-engineered with controls, pumps, and process vessels, simplifying site preparation and ensuring predictable start-up performance.
Custom solutions for your utility needs
No two small systems are alike, and Sentinel works to maximize the value of your existing infrastructure whenever possible. In one example, Sentinel installed four shorter vessels within an existing building rather than forcing a utility company to build an expensive new structure for two taller vessels.
For sites with large variations between the maximum allowable flow rate and the actual minimum flow rate, Sentinel also offers multi-train vessel systems. This configuration ensures efficient PFAS treatment in both low and high flow conditions, giving operators flexibility without upsizing the equipment.
At sites with high PFAS concentrations, Sentinel often recommends a rough filter approach that maximizes media longevity by ensuring the mass transfer zone (MTZ) passes through the lead vessel before disposal or reactivation.
Lease and “as a service” options
Recognizing that many small systems are waiting for state or federal grants, Sentinel makes its systems available on a lease or service basis. This allows utilities to become PFAS compliant immediately without significant upfront capital expenditures, while positioning them for long-term ownership when funding becomes available.
Reactivation and inventory management
In August 2025, Sentinel announced an exclusive channel partnership with DESOTEC, one of the world’s largest providers of sustainable activated carbon solutions, to provide an NSF-certified GAC revitalization and inventory management program for U.S. drinking water utilities. This ensures continuity of supply, reduces landfill/incineration and reduces total lifecycle costs.
The partnership builds on DESOTEC’s acquisition of Evoqua’s carbon reactivation and replacement services business in 2023 and will significantly expand its reactivation network and capabilities in the United States. With this agreement, U.S. utilities have expanded direct access to NSF-certified revitalization leveraging Sentinel’s turnkey logistics and field services.
Through this partnership, Sentinel will serve as DESOTEC’s exclusive drinking water revitalization supply partner to the municipal market, managing the entire process from container replacement and traditional media replacement to NSF-certified revitalization and inventory management at DESOTEC’s facilities.
The main benefits of Reactivation as a Service are:
NSF Certified Drinking Water GAC Reactivation: Meets the most stringent US treatment standards. PFAS-focused solutions: Designed to comply with current and pending EPA regulations. Turnkey media and container replacement: removal, transportation, reactivation, inventory management, and reinstallation are all handled by Sentinel. Sustainability and cost savings: Minimize waste, reduce operating costs and reduce carbon footprint compared to virgin carbon alternatives.
Delivering practical compliance for small sites
Sentinel’s small site solution is designed to fit the operational realities of resource-constrained systems. By combining cleaned container replacement, modular packaged units, space-optimized custom designs, sustainable revitalization, and flexible service models, Sentinel helps small communities ensure they meet PFAS standards without unnecessary cost, complexity, or disruption.
This article will also be published in the quarterly magazine issue 24.
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