ZeroWater Filters and pitchers distributed by the City of Wausau. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – The City of Wausau is addressing confusion over water pitchers and filters given out to residents last summer because of PFAS concerns.
Some residents claim that their pitchers are alerting them that there is PFAS in the water. City officials say that’s not the case.
The test kits that are given with the pitchers detect dissolved solids in the water – not PFAS.
The city went on to say that PFAS levels have become undetectable because of the city’s new filtration plant, which went online in December.
The test kits that come with the pitchers do not pick up PFAS.
Those detections are coming from the filter being used repeatedly and officials said that it’s not harmful to drink the water from the filters. “You first put the filter in and you use those test kits and it’ll show zero,” said Eric Lindman, Director of Public Works and Utilities for the city of Wausau. “Over time, over a couple days, you start seeing numbers come through because the filters fill up, and those solids get expelled.”
There are no at-home test kits for PFAS. Samples need to be sent to the lab which costs $400-600.
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