Senator Baldwin Tours Wausau's New Drinking Water Treatment Plant

Monday, January 16th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) Local leaders met with US Senator Tammy Baldwin on Friday to tour Wausau's new drinking water treatment plant, which leaders say could come with a significant increase for rate payers.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Baldwin says she knows the federal government can't step in to foot the whole bill, but she is happy to have helped secure some funding. "When I can come in and be a partner, I am so pleased to be able to do that."

She says she encourages other communities who are dealing with the issue to reach out to her office so she can help them. "We are also trying to be in contact constantly with the federal agencies, the EPA in particular, but also state agencies and, if nothing else, be a resource for referals."

She knows that there are still a good deal of unknowns surrounding the chemicals. "To understand the prevalance, where it's present, what the human health effects are, what the effects are to other creatures."

She says there are multiple sources of funding communities can look at for PFAS removal including some in the bipartisan infrastructure bill. "A very significant dedication of resources into PFAS remediation and mitigation, probably second only to lead lateral pipe removal in terms of financial committment."

Water Works Commissioner John Robinson says they are also still in the process of working with the state to see what other funds could come in. "And the state now is in the process of finalizing the plan and how the Safe Drinking Water Act funds will be allocated. There's also dollars for emerging contaminants"

Water Works Commissioner John Robinson says it does remain to be seen how the state will allocate other funds, but that likely won't make a potential rate increase any less painful. "There will be long term implications of those systems going online to local utility rate payers. But there are other sources of funding we can pursue."

Nearly every community in the Wausau area has found some level of PFAS contamination in at least one of their drinking water wells, Wausau found high levels in all six of theirs. Rib Mountain also received some funding at Baldwin's request as part of last year's spending bill. The city's financial consultants have turned over a recommended increase of 65 percent for the drinking water portion of the residential rate bill to the state, which is currently under review. Public hearings on that will be scheduled before regulators give their final decision.

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