MADISON, WI (WSAU) — The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board will consider testing requirements and level limits for PFAS today, an action that could become the first state or federal requirement for the emerging contaminants in Wisconsin.
The board will vote to send testing requirements and a proposed cap of 20 parts per trillion in drinking water. Should those proposals pass, they would move on to Governor Evers for approval who would then send them to the Legislature before they’re implemented.
The regulations would be designed to control PFAS contamination in groundwater, drinking water, and surface water.
They’ve been found in the drinking water in at least two Central Wisconsin communities including Rib Mountain, which shut down one well that showed elevated levels. Wausau recently announced that all six of their wells showed levels above the proposed 20 PPT threshold but below current federal recommendations.
City leaders including Mayor Katie Rosenberg and Public Works Director Eric Lindman have said their goal is to get the levels down as low as possible when the city’s new drinking water treatment plant comes online later this year.
The issue has been discussed during special meetings of the Water Works Commission and City Council. During a special meeting on Tuesday, the City Council instructed the Commission to brainstorm ideas for short-term solutions during their March 1st meeting. The Finance Committee and City Council could then consider and sign off on those ideas at their next meetings on March 8th, or sooner if a special meeting is called.
RELATED: Wausau City Council Instructs Water Works Commission to Workshop PFAS Solutions
PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” have been linked to health issues including high cholesterol and reproductive issues in women.
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