WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau residents are set to get another update on the situation surrounding PFAS contamination in the city’s drinking water supply.
Mayor Katie Rosenberg says the Water Works Commission will hold a special meeting to go over the findings of a pilot study on how to best remove the forever chemicals from the water. Additionally, they’re working with financial consultants to make sure that the city can be reimbursed for the costs associated with the remediation where possible. “We want to make sure we are procuring things correctly so we can get reimbursed using bipartisan infrastructure dollars, ARPA, whatever it is,” said Rosenberg. “We have very specific procurement process we have to follow since these are federal dollars.”
It also remains to be seen if that financing will lead to an increase in the average water bill for residents. Rosenberg said among the options being considered the “most expensive” could increase the average residential bill between $3-$10.
There’s also the unknown of where the national standard for PFAS levels in drinking water will land. Regulation is currently left up to the states, but Rosenberg says a decision from the Environmental Protection Agency is expected sometime soon. Meaning the city may be forced to bring its levels down to below the 20 parts per trillion mark that were recently rejected by the state’s Natural Resources Board.
“We don’t have the EPA regulatory standard yet. We could have to go lower than that, we’re not sure. We want to make sure we have all the information in front of us as we make these decisions,” said Rosenberg.
Some states have already implemented a 20 PPT standard for drinking water. Rosenberg says others like California have implemented even stricter standards, and Maine has gone so far as to regular the chemicals in both drinking water and wastewater.
City leaders including Rosenberg and Public Works Director Eric Lindman have long said that their goal is to have a way of filtering the chemicals by the time the new drinking water treatment plant comes online, which is scheduled to happen in the next two months.
PFAS have been known to build up in the human body over time, leading to health issues such as cancer or high cholesterol. Health officials have recommended limiting your exposure to PFAS, which are most commonly ingested through drinking water.
The city will also consider purchasing another $200,000 worth of filters from ZeroWater to distribute to those that have already received a pitcher.
Other topics Mayor Rosenberg discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- recent trip to the Middle East and possible sister city partnership with Bethlehem
4:00- PFAS update
8:10- $75,000 grant for childcare investigation
