% VERY MUCH.
% >> THAT YOU THANK YOU FOR HAVIN.
% >> CAMPBELL RESIDENTS FILED A
% $42 MILLION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE
% NEIGHBORING CITY OF LACROSSE FOR
% CONTAMINATION FROM THE CANCER
% CAUSING FOREVER CHEMICALS, OR
% P.F.A.S.
% RED DOTS ON THIS DNR MAP SHOW
% AREAS WHERE WATER SAMPLES ON THE
% ISLAND EXCEEDED HAZARD LEVELS.
% THE AGENCY HAS NAMED THE CITY OF
% LACROSSE AS THE RESPONSIBLE
% PARTY FOR THE WIDESPREAD
% CONTAMINATION RELATED TO
% FIREFIGHTING FOAM THAT WAS USED
% FOR DECADES AT THE CITY'S
% AIRPORT.
% P.F.A.S. WERE FIRST DISCOVERED
% IN LACROSSE MUNICIPAL WELLS AND
% THEN IN PRIVATE WELLS.
% MORE THAN 2,000 RESIDENTS THERE
% ARE RECEIVING BOTTLED WATER FROM
% THE DNR AS A RESULT.
% FOR AN UPDATE ON THE TOWN OF
% CAMPBELL'S WATER WOES, WE TURN
% TO LEE DONAHUE, A MEMBER OF THE
% TOWN'S BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
% AND AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
% BEING HERE.
% >> YES.
% THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
% >> HOW LONG HAVE RESIDENTS BEEN
% USING BOTTLED WATER AND WHAT
% KIND OF HARDSHIP IS THAT?
% >> SO RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN USING
% BOTTLED WATER THAT HAS BEEN PAID
% FOR BY THE DNR SINCE SPRING OF
% 2021.%WE WERE FIRST NOTIFIED
THAT
% THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT
% THERE WAS CONTAMINATION IN OUR
% WATER IN OCTOBER OF 2020, SO
% WE'RE COMING UP ON THREE YEARS.
% AND THE HARDSHIP IS IMAGINE
% TRYING TO MOVE A 5-GALLON JUG OF
% WATER.
% THEY'RE UNWIELDY, THEY'RE HEAVY.
% YOU HAVE TO FIND A PLACE THAT
% YOU CAN STORE THEM THAT IS
% CLIMATE CONTROLLED.
% YOU CAN'T LEAVE THEM IN YOUR
% GARAGE OR YOUR FRONT POMP OR
% BACK PORCH OR YOUR BREEZEWAY
% BECAUSE THEY WILL FREEZE DURING
% THE WINTERTIME, SO IT'S A
% TREMENDOUS HARDSHIP FOR PEOPLE
% TO FIND PLACES TO STORE THEM AND
% FOR PEOPLE TO JUST HEFT THEM
% AROUND AND DEAL WITH THE
% PHYSICALITY OF USING LARGE
% BOTTLES OF WATER.
% >> HOW LONG BEFORE THE DNR
% STARTED SUPPLYING BOTTLED WATER
% WAS P.F.A.S. SEEPING INTO THE
% WELLS?
% >> WELL, TRUTHFULLY, THE
% P.F.A.S. COULD HAVE BEEN SEEPING
% INTO THE WELLS AS EARLY AS 1970.
% THAT IS THE PERIOD OF TIME THAT
% THE CITY OF LACROSSE AIRPORT WAS
% USING THE AFFF, AND IT'S LIKELY
% THAT IT'S BEEN THERE FOR 40 TO
% 50 YEARS.
% WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.
% IT WAS ONLY DISCOVERED FIRST IN
% 2014 IN ONE OF THE ISLANDS IN
% THE CITY AND THEN FOUND IN A
% SECOND WELL IN 2016 AND THEN WE
% WERE NOTIFIED IN 2020.
% >> SO WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR PEOPLE
% LIVING THERE TO HAVE THIS
% DANGEROUS CONTAMINATION PART OF
% THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES?
% >> YOU CHANGE EVERYTHING THAT
% YOU DO, FROM WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN
% THE MORNING AND YOU BRUSH YOUR
% TEETH, YOU HAVE A LITTLE BOTTLE
% OF WATER AT YOUR SINK.
% YOU CAN'T GROW FOODS THAT YOU
% EAT IN THE SOIL.
% YOU CAN'T USE YOUR SPRINKLER TO
% WATER FOODS THAT YOU WOULD GROW
% IN YOUR BACKYARD.
% I HAVE A RASPBERRY PATCH THAT'S
% PROBABLY 50 FEET LONG AND 10
% FEET WIDE.
% I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO EAT A
% RASPBERRY FOR YEARS.
% IT'S HARD.
% IT CHANGES EVERYTHING THAT YOU
% DO.
% >> HOW WILL THE 402 MILLION
% DOLLARS DIRECTED FROM THE
% GOVERNOR AND THE 125 MILLION IN
% THE SATAN PEJA P.F.A.S. MITIGATE
% TOWN OF CAMPBELL?
% >> WELL, A LOT OF THAT REALLY
% DEPENDS ON SENATE BILL 312 AND
% HOW THAT BILL IS STRUCTURED TO
% BE ABLE TO HELP SMALL
% COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ON PRIVATE
% WELLS ACCESS THAT P.F.A.S. TRUST
% FUND.
% IT'S UNCLEAR WHETHER THAT BILL
% WILL PASS IN ITS CURRENT FORM.
% I KNOW IT'S ALREADY BEEN AMENDED
% ONCE AND NOW THERE'S DISCUSSION
% ABOUT FURTHER AMENDMENTS THAT IT
% MIGHT COME TO THE FLOOR NEXT
% WEEK.
% >> DO PEOPLE WANT TO STAY ON
% FRENCH ISLAND?
% OR ARE PEOPLE HESITANT TO LOCATE
% THERE?
% >> WELL, I WOULD SAY IF IT
% WASN'T THE WATER PROBLEM, IT'S A
% GLORIOUS PLACE TO LIVE OF WE'RE
% A SMALL ISLAND.
% WE HAVE OUR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT
% AND POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WE'RE
% HUGGED BY TWO RIVERS.
% IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
% IT'S LOVELY.
% IT'S A SMALL TOWN COMMUNITY, BUT
% WHEN YOU CAN'T DRINK THE WATER
% OUT OF YOUR TAP AND YOU HAVE TO
% MANEUVER THESE VERY HEAVY LARGE
% BOTTLES SO THAT YOU HAVE A SAFE
% ALTERNATIVE SOURCE, IT'S A
% STRUGGLE FOR MANY PEOPLE AND
% MANY PEOPLE HAVE CHOSEN TO MOVE
% ELSEWHERE.%>> WHAT WOULD BE Y
OUR ADVICE TO
% OTHERS IN THE STATE SUFFERING
% THE SAME KIND OF THING?
% >> WELL, I THINK THE MOST
% IMPORTANT THING IS TO MAKE
% CERTAIN THAT THE WATER YOU ARE
% DRINKING IS, IN FACT SAFE.
% >> SUPERVISOR LEE DONAHUE,