WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — It’s been five days since we learned Wausau’s drinking water supply contains levels of PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, that exceed the proposed state recommended levels of 20 parts per trillion, and city leaders including Mayor Katie Rosenberg have been busy coming up with solutions for the next few months.
“We need to make sure we are providing equitable access to safe drinking water for everyone,” said Rosenberg. “There are a couple of options there. My favorite option is mobile filtration units that can be hooked up to our existing plant. That would mean everyone who turns on the spigot would have access to water that’s under that 20 PPT. That feels like the best answer.”
Rosenberg admits she doesn’t know how much that option would cost just yet, but she has called a special Water Works Commission meeting for Tuesday at 9 AM to discuss solutions. Other options would include providing bottled water or filters to residents or setting up bottle filling stations around town to give residents access to water that’s under the 20 PPT threshold.
Ideally, those solutions would be temporary until the city’s new drinking water treatment plant comes online later this year. Rosenberg has made it clear that her expectation is once that happens, no one will have to worry about the chemicals being above the proposed state standard. “There are technologies we can employ to make sure we are filtering out these PFAS and that we are below the DNR’s health advisory.”
What’s complicated the situation is the fact that there are two different sets of standards right now for PFAS. The federal standard from the Environmental Protection Agency sits at 70 PPT, while the state Department of Health Services and Department of Natural Resources has their proposal set at 20 PPT, which could move one step closer to implementation later this month when the Natural Resources Board meets in Madison. Rosenberg notes the differences between the two, and she has been in touch with both federal and state representatives and officials to make sure that the Utility and City Council have options for fixing the problem in the short term along with funding sources to help put the preferred option in place.
Rosenberg also took time to discuss the arrest of one of the recently resettled refugees from Afghanistan on suspicion of 4th-degree sexual assault charges. She says she doesn’t want the situation to speak for all of the refugees and made it clear that the suspect will be treated like any other person suspected of such a crime. “I know it’s hard to hear about this and extrapolate this to be some kind of cultural thing, but really it shouldn’t be. I understand people are scared, but I hope people understand that it shouldn’t be a reflection of an entire culture.
“We are going to give people the benefit of the doubt, and if they break our trust and our laws they will be held accountable,” she added.
The suspect, Matiullah Matie, was arrested last week and released on a signature bond. As of Sunday, no formal court proceedings against him have been scheduled and details of the criminal complaint have not been released.
According to public details of Mattie’s Facebook profile, he is serving as the Afghans Community Leader in Wausau. One month ago he hosted Mayor Katie Rosenberg and Police Chief Ben Bliven for milk tea in his home where the group discussed the Wausau community and their experiences in Afghanistan, according to a post from the Wausau Police Department.
Other topics the Mayor discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- situation with PFAS in Wausau
9:20- Arrest of recent refugee on charges of 4th-degree sexual assault
15:00- Possible uses for city’s ARPA dollars
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