Damakant Jayshi
The Wausau City Council on Tuesday formally lent support to a proposed Wisconsin bill relating to PFAS contamination with a condition that the legislation would not limit holding polluters responsible for contamination.
The bill outlines guidelines for local governments that are seeking funding for PFAS remediation in Wisconsin, requiring the state’s Department of Natural Resources to create a municipal PFAS grant program for PFAS testing at municipal water systems and municipal wastewater. The legislature has earmarked $125 million for these programs in the state’s 2023-2025 biennial budget.
The council offered unanimous support after Dist. 3 Alder Tom Kilian proposed a provision that the bill “does not limit future financial obligations or exposure of Responsible Parties. That it does not limit DNR or DOJ authority in any manner, nor Wisconsin’s Spills Law. And that the match requirement and Joint Finance Committee process be revisited and reconsidered.”
The Hazardous Substance Spill Law “requires anyone who causes, possesses or controls a hazardous substance that was discharged into the environment to take action to restore the affected air, land and waters.”
In May, the City Council voted unanimously to move forward with a lawsuit against manufacturers of PFAS in an effort to recover some of the costs and damages associated with contamination found in Wausau’s municipal drinking water wells.
Rasmussen said it was important that the council speak in one voice over PFAS and said she would support the addition of the language proposed by Kilian and added that the city must work together to ensure PFAS-free drinking water.
The bill as it stands proposes distributing grants “in equal shares,” regardless of the size of a municipality and the level of PFAS contamination. But earlier this month, Mayor Katie Rosenberg requested the Committee on Natural Resources and Energy to change that approach.
“I would encourage you to consider a needs-based approach so that municipal leaders who find themselves in similar situations to us are enabled to make the right decisions on behalf of their communities,” Rosenberg said, in her remarks to the committee.
Wausau has undertaken several strategies after the discovery of PFAS in all the six wells was made public. The city’s new water treatment plant, which became operational in December 2022 will now incorporate granular activated carbon, or GAC, filtration systems. That, in addition to the cost of the plant’s construction, resulted in multiple water bill hikes including a proposed increase of 65%.
Rosenberg said the city will incur about $20 million in additional costs due to the GAC system. “That means that we’re asking our ratepayers to pay more – about a 65% increase,” the mayor added. “For an average Wausau family, that is about $18 a month or $50 a quarter increase.”
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, are synthetic and long-lasting chemicals used in everyday products like non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers, stain-resistant sprays and certain types of firefighting foam. They are also known as “forever chemicals” because of their persistence and ability to stay in the environment for a long period of time.
City Council approves borrowing $17.5M for GAC
The Council on Tuesday also authorized issuing $17.5 million in General Obligation Promissory Notes as interim financing for GAC treatment improvements and equipment at the water treatment plant. Prior to the council meeting, its Finance Committee had authorized the securities issue.
The Note will be sold to Peoples State Bank at the interest rate of 4.56% per annum and mature on July 1, 2024.
The council approved the proposal in May after its financial consultant, Ehlers Public Finance Advisors, recommended the option to raise money for the filtration system.
Senior Municipal Government Advisor at Ehlers, Philip Cosson, told the council it was the best possible temporary solution. Long-term financing for the safe drinking water project is expected through Wisconsin’s Safe Drinking Water Loan Program.
The Wausau Water Works Commission voted in June 2022 to adopt GAC technology to remove PFAS from the water. The GAC technology, cited as a long-term solution for PFAS contamination, was then estimated to cost about $17 million, according to a revised estimate presented to the Wausau Water Works Commission in October last year.
