Wausau Water Works Commission Heard an Update on the Timeline for PFAS Reduction

Tuesday, June 21st, 2022 -- 8:05 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) The Wausau Water Works Commission heard an update Monday on the timeline for PFAS reduction at the city's new drinking water treatment plant.

According to Mike Leischner of WSAU, Public Works Director Eric Lindman says when the facility comes online, users will see an immediate reduction. “When the new plant does go on line, it will reduce PFAS from what we have by, about, half. So, it will be around 12-15 parts per trillion.”

However full reduction will take another two years, as the city explores funding options for a new granular activated carbon filtration system. “We will not get down to the new, non-detect levels until the new treatment is online with the GAC. I just want to set expectations for the public.”

What complicates the funding plan is how the funding mechanisms will be put in place. Lindman says Wausau does have the advantage of being at the front of the line when it comes to projects that are ready to go, but there will still need to be governmental hoops to jump through.

“Working with our engineers and the regulatory authorities, we’ll try to crash the schedule, or reduce, the schedule as much as possible for the public. And we will keep the Commission very well informed of how that is going.”

Commissioner John Robinson said the GAC Filtration system provides more flexibility for the removal of PFAS now, and any other potential health dangers that could emerge in the future.

“We do the flavor of the month, we’re going to be back in dealing with some other contaminant, whether it’s pharmaceutical or something else in the future. So, I think that it’s in everyone’s interest to move ahead with the GAC and try to accelerate that as soon as we can.”

A GAC Filtration system for the Wausau plant could cost up to 16 point eight million dollars, with the city working on ten million dollars in state and federal funding. Which could leave another six million for the city to come up with.

It's too soon to tell what that could do for water rates. The city has PFAS in all six of its drinking water wells, and has already distributed thousands of home filters and pitcher systems to residents to control the cancer-causing chemicals.

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