WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau’s City Council is set to hear a presentation on Tuesday regarding who could be held responsible for PFAS in the city’s drinking water supply.
But Mayor Katie Rosenberg says don’t hold your breath on identifying where the chemicals came from anytime soon, as the Department of Natural Resource’s responsible-party investigation process is lengthy.
She says if the DNR can identify a responsible party the city will make them pay for the cleanup of the issue. “That’s a question I get a lot- why aren’t we just forcing the polluters to pay for our new system? Once those folk are identified- if they are identified, we will want to make them pay for the remediation and cleanup. That is what we do. But right now we don’t have our finger on who that is.”
According to Rosenberg, the presentation will include information on how the DNR conducts responsible-party investigations and how long they typically take.
Rosenberg says she is also in contact with Attorney General Josh Kaul’s office regarding legal action that the state has taken against PFAS manufacturers, and she’s also fielded phone calls from at least a dozen law firms that are gauging the city’s interest in being part of a class-action lawsuit. She says action through those routes remains a possibility, but she wants to keep the city’s options open to make sure the city’s best interests are protected and resources are used wisely.
“Whether that’s signing on to a class action suit or working with the state on what they are doing; I don’t know. There are a lot of unanswered questions,” added Rosenberg.
Tuesday’s presentation will happen at the start of the regular city council meeting, which begins at 6:30 at City Hall.
Other topics Rosenberg discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Pothole update
4:00- Update on PFAS-removing resin in water plant
7:10- Lead service line update
12:00- Council presentation on responsible parties
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