Gov. Tony Evers Tours Wausau Water Facility - Photo by Tom Schumacher
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers visited Wausau on Thursday to see the city’s process for keeping “forever chemicals” such as PFAS out of the water supply.
Evers was joined by Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg, Wausau’s Development Director Liz Brodeck, and two cabinet members as they got the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the city’s purifying systems and meet the people in charge of running them.
The recently passed state budget will set aside $125 million to address PFAS pollution. PFAS has contaminated the water supplies of several communities around the state and has been linked to a wide range of health issues.
Following the tour, Evers spoke about the $125 million investment, saying, “Hopefully it will help municipalities do the right thing like Wausau is doing and make sure the water supply is clean. This process is not inexpensive, and we have to hold people who make PFAS accountable. The state needs to step up after having a hard time getting any money to fight PFAS for years, so this is a good start, but we will continue to need more money, and some of that will need to come from holding those responsible accountable.”
Back in June, 3M struck a $10.3 billion settlement with countless cities in the United States to address water pollution claims related to “forever chemicals,” including the city of Wausau.
Reuters reported the settlement would give cities, towns, and other public water systems money to test for and fix PFAS contamination over 13 years.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved a rate hike for the City of Wausau’s water utility to help fund the effort to fight PFAs. City officials say the increase will begin on July 1st and will not affect sewer rates. The city reports the average bill will go up by $50 per quarter.
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