this new initiative, but promised to return to our
set and talk about athletics at a future date.
In dental news, at more than 100 sites across the
state, from Mount Pleasant to Superior, people are
dealing with water contaminated with the man
made chemicals known as PFAS. Here and now.
Reporter Murv Seymour went to the Northwoods community
of Stella, which is currently under review for
a Superfund designation where residents put health
and environmental officials on the hot seat.
>> Stella is a farming community.
town of Stella. some individuals out here.
>> It's lakes, it's wildlife, the people.
>> Everybody is a neighbor and everybody knows
everybody. reasons people move here.
>> It's a very caring community.
locals never leave. >> When somebody needs
something out here, everybody shows up.
Obviously, it's a good turnout.
have shown up at Stella Hall filling the parking
lot and roadsides. >> We're all here for the
same reason. >> Inside, they fill nearly
every seat as they stand together listening. Because
tonight they need answers from town, state and
federal officials about their precious lakes and
wildlife that are contaminated with man made
chemicals known as PFAS. They're here to work with
us. They're here to answer our questions.
Casey Crump lives in this community.
>> I love the community. I love the people.
>> He has for almost 25 years.
>> These are neighbors, their friends.
this information session together to provide his
community and himself with the first update in almost
two years on fact. >> We're learning more and
more. how contaminated are the
water and ground, whose what's the impact on people,
wildlife, crops and property values. Casey's
quest for answers is personal.
but now it's even more personal.
>> Like everyone else here. >> We have permanent
residents that live around it, and we have vacationers
that come up during the summer.
of questions. >> What does PFAS do to us
when we have it in our body? And then also, how can we
find out if we do have it in our body? If my well's
been tested positive and I've been drinking this
well for 30 years, you know, do I have it in my body?
How can we find out about that?
three times the recommended levels. The town is in the
early assessment phase of being designated a federal
Superfund site. Superfund status would mean federal
funds and an expedited cleanup process. Behind
Town Hall sits one of many EPA and DNR groundwater
testing sites. Water samples taken from various
wells like this are part of the lengthy assessment
process, which could take decades. For now, the DNR
tells people within five miles of Stella to limit
their consumption of deer meat to one meal per month,
and they've been told not to eat deer liver at all.
And they shouldn't eat any fish from almost a dozen
different lakes in the area, which includes fish and all
of the lakes that make up the heavily populated and
popular Moen Lake Chain. Nearby. Snowden Lake is on
the list, too. At the edge of the highway, 50 yards
from shore, you'll find a wooden gate that leads down
towards the lake with a sign that warns people
about the contaminated lake water and the risks of
being exposed to it from swimming, fishing, or
ingesting it. levels stay the same or are
they getting worse or getting better?
panel takes questions from people who have written
them on index cards. >> The rumor is that there
were some illegal dumping that caused this. Is that
true or not true? >> From the third row,
retired nurse Jean Peterson, who lives on the first lake
portion of the Moen Lake Chain, pushes for the
answers she needs. >> I just believe knowledge
is power. >> The DNR confirms that
former owners of the paper mill, now called Ahlstrom
and Wausau Paper, are the primary PFAS polluters in
the area. They've notified both companies and their
previous owners, requiring them to fund and clean up
the contamination. In an email statement in Ahlstrom,
spokesperson tells me they've received the
notification and they're carefully reviewing it.
With the recent site inspection report. The
statement goes on to say, we continue to actively
engage as a partner with the DNR, EPA and other
agencies. Less than a mile from Jean Peterson's home
on the shores of Third Lake and the other lakes, all is
pretty quiet on shore and on the water. Aside from a
few boaters fishing and cruising the lake. One day
after that community meeting, I meet Jean
Peterson at the Oneida County Courthouse in
Rhinelander. a matter of time before it
was us. >> She candidly tells me
she worries about how PFAS contamination will impact
her health, and when the time comes, the potential
resale value of her home. >> We had our well tested
about 12 months ago, had never heard of PFAS at that
time, but we had our well tested just in general and
it came back fine. And we drink bottled water.
>> According to the DNR, lengthy exposure to certain
types of PFAS can lead to an increased risk of cancer,
developmental delays, thyroid and heart issues,
infertility and low birth weights in infants.
Residents are encouraged to use bottled water or treat
water that they consume. >> First visit DNR, gov and
search PFAS. >> The DNR has created an
interactive website where people can search and learn
if they're in one of the PFAS contaminated zones in
Wisconsin. >> And around the map. To
learn about PFAS in your area or search an address
in the box above. >> You can zero in on your
own address or neighborhood to get details on testing
and its results. Jean Peterson and others learned
there are thousands of types of man made PFAS in
things like nonstick cookware, plastic wrappings,
microwave popcorn bags, waterproof clothing and
foam commonly used in airport fire trucks.
>> I have a spring on my land. What do I need to do
to get it tested. >> At that community town
hall? At times, each answer leads to more questions.
on my fields for years and years and years. I lived on
that field. I grow vegetables in my garden,
which turned out really good this year. But now I
have concerns about consuming those vegetables
because we water with our well water. We, you know,
we we planted them in the soil that that our property
sits on. And in addition to that, I least out my land.
And so corn is grown on that land. I think that
corn goes to feed cattle and livestock. Are the
cattle in livestock now consuming that corn?
>> What is the plan for when the $125 million that
has been sitting there year one, year two unspent.
>> In Madison, state lawmakers have set aside
$125 million to help pay for cleaning up PFAS
contaminated sites across the state, a drop in the
bucket of what will be needed.
perfect wording for that, so it includes all the
landowners that actually are innocent.
>> For now, the funds are on hold as lawmakers hash
out language in the bill that protects the
environment and protects farmers, families and
business owners from liability and the
anticipated astronomical costs of cleanup.
>> Wisconsin has done an excellent job under the
spills law for decades, and but it does need funding.
>> Community groups representing municipalities
and environmental groups from all over the state
came here to weigh in on the conversation.
>> You don't have to treat the water, to do your
laundry, to do your dishes, to flush your toilet. But
you should be treating the water that you're using for
food preparation and for drinking water.
situation, the state is footing the bill to test
and redrill some private wells. People are already
drinking bottled water and some are paying for the
testing of their own wells, something Casey Crump
believes his small community might have to do
if they want the water quality here to get better
before it gets worse. >> We're willing to step up
and we're willing to do and we're willing to do