MUCH.
>> THANKS, FRED.
>> IN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS,
IMAGINE HAVING TO DRINK ONLY
BOTTLED WATER OR INSTALL A
FILTER SYSTEM TO SAFELY USE
WATER OUT OF THE TAP.
THIS IS THE REALITY FOR WAUSAU
RESIDENTS BECAUSE ALL THE CITY
WELLS HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF PFAS
CONTAMINATION.
PFAS ARE A GROUP OF HUMAN-MADE
CHEMICALS USED IN THINGS LIKE
NON-STICK COOKWARE, FIREFIGHTING
FOAM AND FAST FOOD WRAPPERS.
BECAUSE THEY DON'T BREAK DOWN,
THEY'RE KNOWN AS "FOREVER
CHEMICALS" THAT MAY CAUSE
CANCER, HEART ISSUES,
DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS AND
INFERTILITY.
THIS IS BAD STUFF.
AND CITIES ACROSS THE STATE ARE
DEALING WITH PFAS, BUT WAUSAU
STANDS ALONE, HAVING ALL SIX OF
ITS WELLS CONTAMINATED.
IT'S ALSO THE ONLY CITY IN THE
STATE THAT WILL TREAT ALL THE
WATER ENTERING ITS TREATMENT
SYSTEM.
THE CITY'S MAYOR, KATIE
ROSENBERG, JOINS US WITH THE
LATERS.
MAYOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
HAVING ME TODAY.
>> SO YOU HAVE TAKEN ON PFAS
CONTAMINATION OF YOUR CITY WATER
SUPPLY AND AS I JUST MENTIONED,
WILL TREAT ALL WATER ENTERING
THE SYSTEM, EVEN BUILDING A
WHOLE NEW WATER TREATMENT PLANT
TO DO SO.
THIS IS CLEARLY NO PIECEMEAL
RESPONSE.
WHY ARE YOU SO AGGRESSIVE ON
THIS?
>> THANK YOU.
SO WE HAD ALREADY PLANNED ON
BUILDING A NEW DRINKING WATER
FACILITY SO WE WERE TRYING TO
WORK ON THE FUTURE, MAKE SURE WE
FUTURE-PROOFED OUR NEXT 50 YEARS
OF DRINKING WATER, AND SO IN
PREPARATION FOR THAT, WE DID
SOME TESTING.
BOTH A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO BUT
AGAIN THIS YEAR, WHEN SOME OF
OUR NEIGHBORS DISCOVERED PFAS IN
THEIR WELLS.
SO IT'S KIND OF GOOD TIMING BUT
ALSO KIND OF SCARY TIMING THAT
WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TREAT
ALL THE WATER STARTING IN
AUGUST, WHEN OUR NEW FACILITY
OPENS, WE'LL HAVE A NEW
TREATMENT OPPORTUNITY.
WE HAVE ALL THE SPACE FOR THIS
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL KINDS OF
DIFFERENT TREATMENT OPTIONS
RIGHT NOW FROM CARBON TO IONIC
EXCHANGE, SO WE'RE IN AN
EMERGING SITUATION RIGHT NOW.
>> HOW HIGH ARE THE LEVELS OF
PFAS CONTAMINATION IN WAUSAU'S
WATER?
>> SO ON AVERAGE, IT'S ABOUT 30
PARTS PER TRILLION, SO WE HAVE
SOME WELLS UNDER 30 BUT WE HAVE
SOME THAT ARE CLOSER TO 50 PARTS
PER TRILLION.
SO WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO BE BELOW
THE DHS ADVISORY OF 20 PARTS PER
TRILLION, AND I WOULD REALLY
LIKE US TO BE EVEN BELOW THAT.
>> IS THERE AN IDENTIFIABLE
SOURCE?
>> WE DON'T HAVE THE SOURCE YET.
IT'S LIKELY THAT THERE ARE A
COUPLE DIFFERENT SOURCES.
YOU KNOW, LIKE A LOT OF CITIES
THAT ARE ORGANIZED ALONG THE
WISCONSIN RIVER, WE'VE HAD
INDUSTRIAL PAST, AND YOU KNOW,
THE MORE WE LEARN, THE MORE WE
KNOW WHAT WE SHU SHOULDN'T HAVEN
PUTTING IN THE GROUND SO WE'RE
WORKING WITH THE DNR TO
INVESTIGATE EXACTLY WHAT THAT
SOURCE IS.
>> YOU JUST SPOKE TO THE LEVELS
IN YOUR WATER BUT ARE THERE YET
ANY AGREED UPON STATE OR FEDERAL
SAFETY STANDARDS?
>> I WISH WE HAD ONE RIGHT NOW.
BUT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF
YEARS, THE DN R AND D HS HAVE
BEEN WORKING TOGETHER.
THE HEALTH ADVISORY IS TWEB
PARTS20 PARTSPER TRILLION OR ABE
DNR DECIDED ON 70 PARTS PER
TRILLION WHICH IS SOMEWHAT
SIMILAR TO THE FEDERAL SO WE'RE
KIND OF IN AN INTERESTING
SITUATION BUT WE'RE BELOW THAT
70 PARTS PER TRILLION BUT WE
KNOW THE HEALTH EXPERTS ARE
SAYING AND WE'RE LIKELY TO SEE
THAT COME DOWN AS WE LEARN MORE.
>> SO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU MAY
AS WELL JUST BE AT THAT LOWER
LEVEL?
>> OH, YEAH, OF COURSE.
WE WANT TO BE AT THE BEST LEVEL
TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH.
>> HOW MUCH ARE YOUR MITIGATION
EFFORTS COSTING AND HOW ARE YOU
AFFORDING IT?
>> SO THIS IS AN INTERESTING
TIME RELATED TO ALL THE COVID
CARES FUNDING AND BIPARTISAN
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ALL OF THIS.
SO RIGHT NOW WE'VE SPENT A
COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS
ON FILTERS, PERSONAL FILTERS FOR
THE COMMUNITY SO THAT PEOPLE CAN
USE THE WATER FROM THEIR FAUCET,
BUT ALSO BE SURE THAT THE PFAS
ARE BEING FILTERED OUT.
SO THAT'S A COUPLE HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS.
WE DID SOME BOTTLED WATER FOR A
WHILE BUT THAT GETS EXPENSIVE
AND IT RUNS OUT PRETTY QUICKLY,
AND THEN WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT
OUR NEW FACILITY, THAT PFAS
REMEDIATION PLAN, THAT'S GOING
TO BE A COUPLE MILLION.
SO WE'RE HOPING WE CAN WORK
ALONGSIDE OUR FRIENDS IN
WASHINGTON, MAYBE GET SOME
BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE
DOLLARS.
I KNOW THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
SAID THEY WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS
PFAS IN DRINKING WATER, BUT
WE'RE ALSO WORKING CLOSELY WITH
OUR REPRESENTATIVES HERE.
>> HOW FRIGHTENING IS THIS
CONTAMINATION FOR YOUR RESIDE
RESIDENTS?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT A
LITTLE BIT OF DR -- THERE'S A
LEARNING CURVE.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN TALKING A LOT
ABOUT IT SO HEARING YOUR WATER
IS CONTAMINATED WITH PFAS IS
ALARMING WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT IT IS, WITH THESE DUELING
LEVELS, EXPERTS SAY DIFFERENT
THINGS, AND OF COURSE
POLITICIANS SAY DIFFERENT
THINGS.
SO SOME PEOPLE ARE SCARED,
ESPECIALLY WITH THE HEALTH RISKS
HERE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUR
BEST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
HAS TOLD US THE RISK IS EXPOSURE
OVER TIME, SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO
TO REDUCE OUR RISKS, AND THAT'S
INCLUDING THE DRINKING WATER,
BUT ALSO MAYBE OTHER THINGS LIKE
THE COATINGS ON FRYING PANS AND
THINGS LIKE THAT, SO REDUCING
OUR RISK ALL AROUND.
>> DO YOU EXPECT WAUSAU TO BE A
MODEL FOR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES
ACROSS THE STATE DEALING WITH
PFAS?
>> I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT WE CAN
HELP STEER FOLKS IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
I'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS
WITH OTHER MAYORS GOING THROUGH
SIMILAR PROBLEMS, AND THE BEST
THING I LEARNED IS IF WE CAN
HELP EACH OTHER OUT WITH THIS
INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND
SHARE IT, WE'LL DO IT.
>> BECAUSE IT REALLY SEEMS AS
THOUGH EVERY DAY, YOU READ ABOUT
ANOTHER CITY, ANOTHER
MUNICIPALITY THAT IS ALSO
FINDING THIS PFAS CONTAMINATION.
SO IT IS WIDESPREAD ACROSS
WISCONSIN.
>> IT'S WIDESPREAD ACROSS
WISCONSIN, ACROSS THE MIDWEST
AND ACROSS OUR NATION.
YOU KNOW, I TALKED TO FOLKS FROM
CALIFORNIA TOO, AND THEY'RE
ABOUT 10 YEARS AHEAD OF US AS
FAR AS TECHNOLOGY.
SO WE CAN ALL STAND TO LEARN
FROM EACH OTHER.
>> GREAT.
WELL, MAYOR KATIE ROSENBERG,