Rothschild seeks approval for $7.6M facility to remove PFAS from drinking water
An engineering firm hired by the village estimates water rates would increase by 52% to pay off the state loan to fund the project.
MADISON - With all its wells contaminated with PFAS, the village of Rothschild is seeking state approval to construct a $7.6 million plant to remove the potential carcinogen from its drinking water.
Rothschild voluntarily tested for PFAS in February 2022 and found levels of the “forever chemicals” below the current Environmental Protection Agency advisory standard of 70 parts per trillion. However, water samples were at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services recommended 20 ppt, according to a report by Becher-Hoppe Associates, engineers hired by the village.
“We notified the public and began planning on removing PFAS concentrations … to non-detectable levels,” Timothy Vergara, the village's director of public works, said Tuesday.
Rothschild has been consistently just above or below the Department of Natural Resources' health hazard index. When it exceeds that level, it becomes a “hazard in the DNR’s eyes," Vergara said.
After announcing the February 2022 PFAS testing results, the village said immediate action was taken and Well 4 was taken offline.
In the past year, the water utility has also changed the pumping pattern of its four wells to dilute the concentration of PFAS chemicals in drinking water below the DNR’s health index, Vergara said.
PFAS − or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances − are a family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing and carpet, nonstick cookware, packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the environment and the human body over time.
The chemicals have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems, altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid hormones. The chemicals enter the human body largely through drinking water.
This summer, the EPA is expected to set a lower standard for PFAS concentrations in drinking water and the village’s plant will be designed to meet the new standard, Vergara said.
Vergara expects to bid the project by the end of this month and award a bid in late April. After obtaining approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, construction is expected to begin late this summer and be completed by the end of 2025.
The DNR has already approved the project, according to a construction application filed Monday with the Public Service Commission.
The PFAS removal equipment will be housed in a 40-by-14-foot building constructed on Grand Avenue adjacent to the treatment plant. The equipment would be adaptable to reducing chloride in the water that comes from road salt applications.
The source of the PFAS chemicals hasn’t been identified, according to Becher-Hoppe.
The project construction cost is estimated at $7.67 million and will cost an estimated $139,700 annually to operate and maintain the equipment.
The village will finance it through the state Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. The low-interest, long-term loan has a $3.5 million principal forgiveness clause greatly lowering the payback for the village.
“We were in the top 10 (communities) in the state for that award (amount)” due to the severity of the village's PFAS levels, Vergara said.
Becher-Hoppe estimated that water rates would increase by 52% to pay off the state loan. Vergara didn’t dispute the figure, however, the amount of increase will chiefly depend on the project’s actual net cost and the rate of return the Commission authorizes for the utility.
The Public Service Commission would not authorize a rate increase until after the facility is built and operating.
By December 2025, the village will have water in non-detectable levels, Vergara said.
“Right now, you can shower in it, but the problem comes from ingesting it (when levels get too high),” he said.’
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