Wausau Water Works
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Water Works Commission met in closed session on Tuesday to discuss “litigation in which it is or is likely to become involved” surrounding the substantial completion date for the city’s new drinking water treatment plant.
“I think that [the Commission and I] are outraged over the delays in completing the drinking water treatment plant,” said Commissioner John Robinson. “This results in the public’s continued exposure to PFAS in the water supply.”
The commission met for roughly an hour in closed session. The item was originally agendized for the end of Tuesday’s meeting but was moved to the beginning at the request of Chair Katie Rosenberg. The Mayor also had no further comment on the issue, just saying that residents should expect to hear more about the situation soon.
“I want to make sure that the public knows we will keep you informed as we continue on this process. You can expect more communications from us,” said Rosenberg.
POTENTIAL LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PLAN
The Commission also heard a presentation on a potential plan to remove all lead service lines in the city. The plan would call for all lines to be inventoried and removed in the next 15 years, though the Commission remained non-commital to the plan for now.
Consultants informed the Commission that they could use a variety of funding sources to help kick-start the effort while making plans for which neighborhoods and homes to target first.
The exact number of lead service lines isn’t known at this time, though the consultants estimated that it could be up to 10,000 or more given the data that is available.
Robinson said he’d like to see a plan in place as soon as possible because of the dollars currently available for the issue, possibly in the form of an ordinance that would require replacement as the public sides are replaced.
Commissioner Joe Gehin said he feels a pilot study would be beneficial to start, but he does feel that the city should tread lightly before putting an ordinance in place that would set a hard timeline for replacing the lead pipes. He says he’s already received several calls from residents who are concerned about the costs that would then be forced on homeowners to complete the work.
Again, no action was taken by the Commission but the issue will likely return at a later date.
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