ROTHSCHILD, WI (WSAU) — Work will soon begin on Rotschild’s new PFAS treatment facility.
Administrator Ryan VanDeWalle says the project managers are preparing to remove some large trees from the area. He says they won’t clear the whole area, but some large trees will be removed. “We’ve had preliminary meetings with some of the tree removal companies and some sizeable trees will be coming out of there. However, I want [to emphasize] we are only going to take down the ones that will be necessary for the project. By no means are we going to be doing a clear-cut.”
Through September residents can expect to see trees coming down as workers prepare for construction later this year. The new system will be online by the end of 2025 delivering water with fewer than 4 parts per trillion (PPT) of PFAS to customers.
While the water is safe to drink now, VanDeWalle says the goal is to deliver the best possible product while preparing the treatment plant for future needs. “Maybe it’s phosphorus, maybe it’s chloride. We are building this plant [and thinking about] what regulations may come from the EPA, the DNR, or both in the future. So we can make sure we accommodate it.
“We want to make sure Village residents and whomever else wants to join the water system has safe drinking water,” added VanDeWalle.
Rothschild is one of many Central Wisconsin water utilities that has battled PFAS for the last two years. Officials in Weston and Wausau are also outfitting their water plants with granular activated carbon filtration systems to remove the contamination.
Other topics VanDeWalle discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner:
Start of video- Preparations for Ollie’s
5:10- Street construction near DCE Senior High
8:10- PFAS treatment update
12:40- Mountain Bay Metro Police update
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