ASIDE FROM LEAD PIPES,
COMMUNITIES ACROSS WISCONSIN ARE
ALSO CONTENDING WITH PFAS
CONTAMINATION IN DRINKING AND
GROUNDWATER.
THERE ARE FEW ENFORCEABLE
STANDARDS FOR THE HARMFUL
CHEMICAL, BUT ONE NORTHWEST
WISCONSIN COMMUNITY DECIDED IT
CANNOT WAIT FOR LEGISLATION
BEFORE DEALING WITH SUCH
POLLUTION.
MARISA WOJCIK BRINGS US THIS
REPORT FROM EAU CLAIRE.
>> WE'VE DONE THINGS IN OUR PAST
TO THE ENVIRONMENT THAT AT THE
TIME THEY MAY NOT HAVE SEEMED
BAD, BUT NOW WE FIND OUT LATER
THAT THEY'RE NOT GREAT FOR THE
EARTH AND FOR OUR PERSONAL
HEALTH.
>> LANE BERG IS THE CITY OF
EAU CLAIRE UTILITIES MANAGER, IN
CHARGE OF THE CITY'S DRINKING
WATER WELLS.
>> WE HAVE 16 ACTIVE WELLS IN
OUR WELL FIELD HERE.
IT'S ABOUT 400 ACRES IN SIZE AND
IT SERVES THE ENTIRE POPULATION
OF THE CITY OF EAU CLAIRE.
WE PUMP ABOUT 9 MILLION GALLONS
PER DAY.
>> IN JULY WHEN THE TREATMENT
PLANT DETECTED ELEVATED LEVELS
OF PFAS, BERG TOOK IMMEDIATE
ACTION.
>> WHEN WE DID SAMPLE ALL OF OUR
WELLS, WE FOUND FOUR WELLS ON
THE NORTH END OF OUR WELL FIELD
THAT WERE SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN
PFAS LEVELS.
AT THAT POINT WE SHUT THOSE
WELLS DOWN IMMEDIATELY.
>> PFAS STANDS FOR
PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES AND
REFERRED TO AS FOREVER
CHEMICALS.
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, KNOWN
CONTAMINATION SITES HAVE POPPED
UP THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN.
>> I THINK THE MORE WE TEST FOR
IT, THE MORE WE'LL FIND IT.
>> CHRISTY REMUCAL IS AN
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AT
UW-MADISON.
>> THESE CHEMICALS ARE USED IN A
LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS WE COME
IN CONTACT WITH EVERY DAY, A LOT
OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS, ANYTHING
THAT'S NONSTICK OR WATERPROOF,
SO PANS, STAIN-RESISTANT
CARPETING, WATERPROOF CLOTHING.
THEY'RE USED IN INDUSTRIAL
APPLICATIONS AND IN FI FIREFIGHG
FOAM JUST TO NAME A FEW.
SOME OF THESE CHEMICALS HAVE
BEEN USED FOR DECADES AND WE'RE
JUST NOW KIND OF FINDING OUT
ABOUT THE EXTENT OF
CONTAMINATION FOR THEM IN THE
ENVIRONMENT.
THE CONCENTRATIONS WE WORRY
ABOUT FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE ARE
REALLY LOW, SO PARTS PER
TRILLION.
>> PARTS PER TRILLION.
>> NEW CONCENTRATIONS WE'RE
LOOKING FOR.
>> EAU CLAIRE TRANSLATES TO
CLEAR WATER, AN AT T ATTRIBUTE G
TOOK SERIOUSLY.
>> WE STARTED IN 2020 ON OUR
OWN.
WE WANTED TO KNOW IF WE DID HAVE
PFAS IN OUR WATER.
>> THEY WORKED WITH THE DNR FOR
GUIDANCE ON HOW TO SAMPLE AND
WHERE.
>> SO WE ARE IN BASICALLY ABOUT
THE MIDDLE OF THE WELL FIELD.
THIS IS WHAT WE CONSIDER THE
NORTH AND SOUTH HALF FROM HERE.
>> PFAS IS ESPECIALLY CONCERNING
AS A GROWING BODY OF RESEARCH
LINKS IT TO ADVERSE OUTCOMES,
CANCER, THYROID ISSUES,
INCREASED CHOLESTEROL AND
PROBLEMS FOR PREGNANT MOTHERS
AND THEIR BABIES.
PFAS CHEMICALS DON'T BREAK DOWN
OVER TIME.
THEY TRAVEL FAR, AND THEY ARE
EVERYWHERE, MAKING IT DIFFICULT
TO HOLD PARTIES RESPONSIBLE FOR
CONTAMINATION.
>> THE DNR HAS ACTUALLY LISTED
THE AIRPORT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY
TO HERE AS A POTENTIALLY
RESPONSIBLE PARTY.
THEY'RE HANDLING THAT FULL
INVESTIGATION.
>> MANY CONTAMINATION SITES ARE
NEAR AIRPORTS OR FIRE TRAINING
CENTERS, AS FOAMS ARE PACKED
WITH PFAS CHEMICALS.
WHILE THE DNR HANDLES THE
INVESTIGATION, EAU CLAIRE
UTILITIES HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ON
SOLUTIONS.
>> DOING PIPING, CREATING
ABSORPTION PONDS.
WE'RE ABLE TO DUMP WATER WHICH
IS CUTTING OFF THE FLOW OF PFAS
TO OUR BETTER WELLS AND WE'VE
ACTUALLY SEEN IMPROVEMENT IN
FIVE OF OUR INDIVIDUAL WELLS
SINCE WE STARTED DOING THIS AND
OUR ENTRY POINT HAS BEEN ON A
STEADY DECLINE AS WELL.
>> GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE COME
OUT WITH DIFFERENT
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT'S
CONSIDERED SAFE, BUT OVERALL
ENFORCEMENT OF STANDARDS IS
LIMITED.
IN THE MEANTIME, BERG WANTS TO
REASSURE THE PEOPLE OF
EAU CLAIRE.
>> I WANT TO JUST REINFORCE THE
FACT THAT OUR WATER IS SAFE.
>> I ALSO THINK IT'S REALLY GOOD
THAT SOME COMMUNITIES ARE BEING
PROACTIVE.
>> PFAS IS A BIG ISSUE.
I DON'T THINK WE'LL BE IN A
POSITION TO WAIT FOR ANY
LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
WE'LL TAKE ACTION ON OUR OWN
HERE.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE FEEL REALLY
STRONGLY ABOUT AND WE'RE GOING
TO TRY AND RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.
>> MOST ESPECIALLY IN A CITY
NAMED FOR ITS CLEAR WATER.
FOR "HERE AND NOW," I'M MARISA
WOJCIK IN EAU