WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau water customers will soon get their drinking water from the new treatment plant, but the utility’s Water Commission is already planning the first upgrade to the new facility in the form of a granular activated carbon filtration system.
Mayor Katie Rosenberg, who chairs the commission, says that setup will not only get the city’s water supply down to nearly undetectable levels of PFAS contamination, but it also sets the utility up in a better position to handle future emerging contaminants.
“It’s not just the two regulated PFAS, it’ll take care of other compounds including those we would want to take out of our water,” said Rosenberg. “The science is there, so it feels like we are future-proofing with this system, and that’s really important.”
She adds that other water systems that have battled PFAS in the past have said over and over again that a GAC system works best to remove the chemicals, which are known to cause health issues such as cancers and high cholesterol.
The city is still working with financial planners to work out the financing for the project, meaning it’s too soon to tell if any of the $16 million price tag will fall to the ratepayers. Rosenberg says after already going through one rate increase to pay for the new plant, that route is the absolute last resort.
“We’re looking at what is the best way to fund this. We know we will have some sources of money like forgivable loans, maybe some federally directed spending that we are hoping for, and some other places. But we also know that money won’t be here today so we may have to fund that gap, and that’s what we are working on right now,” said Rosenberg. “We are really hoping that whatever we can do, we won’t have to go back to the rate-payers and ask how can we fund this?”
She adds that using ARPA funding could be on the table as well if the city finds itself with a small gap to fill.
Public Works Director Eric Lindman has previously said that the utility is looking at $5 million in project-specific congressional spending and a $5 million grant from the state to kickstart the funding.
It’s also important to note that any change in the city’s water rate would need to go through the state’s public service commission, which would involve public hearings and public comment periods before any changes would be approved.
Other topics Rosenberg discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- PFAS update
7:30- Wausau Hmong Fest
10:20- Riverside Park soil
14:00- Return of the goats
