WESTON, WI (WSAU) — After briefly bringing wells 3 and 4 back online, the Village of Weston has turned #3 off after a third round of testing once again brought elevated levels of PFAS contamination.
Village Administrator Keith Donner said #3 was taken offline last Friday after showing more than 40 PPT of the so-called forever chemicals, while another round of testing will be done on #4 to once again try to get a handle on how big the problem is in that well.
The village had resumed pumping from those wells after the second round of testing brought lower levels in late April. He says that was at the direction of the DNR so they could get a more accurate sample of what was being delivered under normal conditions.
“It was the desire of the DNR to make sure after the second set of samples showed those two wells to be in compliance. They felt that was not representative, so they wanted the wells to run longer. So we sampled them a third time to see if their theory was correct, and those were the results [released today.]”
RELATED: PFAS Plot Twist: Second Sampling of Weston Wells 3&4 Shows Lowered Levels
Donner says the Village is still considering the addition of a filtration system at their drinking water plant, though a lack of clear guidance from the state and federal levels has become frustrating. “We don’t know what that standard is going to be. There’s speculation, but we don’t know. If it’s what was recommended by the Natural Resources Board, it would be 70 PPT, but we don’t believe that it will be set at that level.”
The State Department of Health Services recommends a standard of 20 PPT. Many feel that number will become a nationally adopted standard as soon as next year.
Donner says additional testing is in the works for the Village. In the meantime, he emphasizes that the Village’s water supply remains safe to drink and meets all current health standards. They are also working on constructing two new wells, which could eliminate the need for Wells 3 and 4 in the future.
