People living in and around communities contaminated with PFAS say Wisconsin can’t afford to wait for federal standards to address harmful "forever chemicals" in drinking water.
The remarks were made as state environmental regulators held a virtual public hearing Wednesday morning on proposed state standards to regulate PFAS in drinking water for two of the most widely studied chemicals: PFOA and PFOS. No one spoke in opposition to the proposed standards.
The regulations would set a combined standard of 20 parts per trillion in line with state health officials’ recommendation to protect public health.
"Safe drinking water should be a basic human right in Wisconsin, and I am here on behalf of the people of the Town of Campbell who are pleading for your help," said Siakpere. "Passage of drinking water standards for PFAS are long overdue."
Communities across the state are contending with PFAS contamination of private and public water supplies, including the towns of Campbell and Peshtigo, and the cities of Marinette, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Rhinelander and Madison. So far, state environmental regulators have detected 51 sites within 25 communities that have PFAS polluted groundwater. Environmental advocates warn more contamination is likely to be found as systems test for the chemicals.
The Wisconsin Paper Council, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Wisconsin Rural Water Association, and the Municipal Environmental Group’s Water Division submitted comments in opposition to the proposed state regulations.
WMC, the state’s largest business lobby, has said standards are necessary for PFOA and PFAS. Yet, the business group has urged state regulators to pause its rulemaking and wait for federal standards to avoid a patchwork of state standards.
So far, nine public water supplies are expected to exceed the proposed standards, requiring installation of treatment systems. The cost for those systems is expected to be about $3.7 million each year over the next two decades.
The economic benefits of regulating PFAS in Wisconsin are unknown, but the DNR estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in health-related costs alone may be avoided with the proposed standards. Laura Olah with Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger noted that less than one percent of Wisconsin's more than 11,000 public water supplies have been tested for PFAS.
"Reducing exposure can significantly improve public health outcomes, but that only works if the public knows when their water is contaminated," said Olah.
Under the proposed regulations, the DNR will require testing of public water supplies every three to six years and more frequently for a smaller number of systems. Around 2,000 water systems would be monitored in a tiered approach beginning with communities of 50,000 or more about three months after the rule takes effect.
Cheryl Nenn with Milwaukee Riverkeeper said she’s pleased the standards would require testing, noting few communities have sampled their water for PFAS statewide.
"It'll really help us figure out where we do have problems, where the affected utilities are, and then allow everyone to put our resources where we need to address this huge public health concern," said Nenn.
The DNR is hoping to present a final version of the proposed standards to the Natural Resources Board for approval in January. If the board signs off on the standards, they would then be submitted to Gov. Tony Evers and the Legislature for approval, with the goal of having regulations in place sometime next summer.