US Senator Tammy Baldwin joins (From L) Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg, Water Works Commissioner John Robinson, and Rib Mountain Supervisor Fred Schaefer. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — US Senator Tammy Baldwin spent time in Wausau on Friday touring the city’s new drinking water treatment plant, which she helped secure some federal funding for as part of a larger government spending package.
Baldwin said she was happy to help when she learned about the city’s PFAS contamination issue, and she encourages other communities who have found the chemicals in their drinking water supplies to reach out to her office as well. She says while she may not be able to secure some federal funding for everyone, at the very least she can connect them with resources on the issue.
“We are in constant contact with federal agencies, the EPA in particular, but also state agencies. We also want to be a resource for referrals to direct [communities] to expertise [on the issue,] said Baldwin. “But when I’m able to bring, they call them earmarks or congressionally directed spending, I prefer to call them community-inspired projects, I recognize that every federal dollar we can put in is a reduction on the rate that the ratepayers will be paying.”
In the meantime, the city is still pursuing other funding options to help cover the cost of installing the GAC system according to Water Works Commissioner John Robinson. “As part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, there will be passed through to the state. [They] are in the process of determining how the safe drinking water act funds will be allocated. There are also dollars for emerging contaminants.”
Robinson says they will continue to explore how those funds will help them pay off the facility, but that doesn’t mean there will not be an impact on the ratepayers.
Wausau found elevated levels of PFAS in all six of its municipal wells, prompting the city to find a way to install a granular activated carbon filtration (GAC) system in the new facility on the fly while distributing filters and pitchers to residents for an immediate solution.
The GAC system combined with other facility spending and debt for the utility will likely amount to a significant rate increase for residents. The city’s financial advisors have turned over a recommended 65% hike, or about $18 per month, to state regulators who are expected to rule on that by this summer.
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In the meantime, the city has announced that drinking water is now PFAS-free straight from the tap. Meaning the ZeroWater filters and pitchers that were issued by the city are no longer required to remove the chemicals. Residents are free to keep them and continue to use them if they’d like. Mayor Katie Rosenberg has said the city may consider having some sort of recycling or collection event for them as well.
Baldwin adds that as an emerging contaminant, there is still a lot to learn about PFAS and how it can impact human health.
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