Stillwater to treat water for PFAS with $2.5M temporary facility

Construction will begin this summer on a temporary key to PFAS chemicals identified in parts of Stillwater s water supply Sector and Johnson Inc of Eau Claire Wis submitted the lowest bid to construct a temporary facility to treat water from one of Stillwater s wells to meet the latest standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances also known as forever chemicals because they resist current down in the setting Five bids were received and opened city leaders mentioned Sector and Johnson which has a local office in Stillwater submitted a bid of which beat the engineer s estimate of city bureaucrats stated The Stillwater City Council voted June to accept the bid The facility which will be located adjacent to Well No near Benson Park is expected to be in operation until a permanent remedy is ascertained The facility will use granulated activated carbon to treat the water The city secured a million grant from the Constituents Facilities Authority for construction of the temporary water restoration facility explained City Administrator Joe Kohlmann Construction will begin this summer and the facility should be operational by late or early he stated PFAS chemicals were discovered to have contaminated drinking water supplies in parts of the eastern Twin Cities including in Stillwater s groundwater supply M and other companies manufactured the substances for use in products ranging from nonstick cookware to firefighting foam but now they have made their way into water and food supplies across the country and have been linked to cancers and other soundness issues The Trump administration in recent weeks released plans to relax limits on certain forever chemicals But for two commonly determined types PFOA and PFOS the limits put in place by the Biden administration will remain in place Utilities will have two more years until to meet them Two wells in Stillwater Well No and Well No were detected to contain PFAS at levels above health-based guidance values for drinking water An additional well Well No contains PFAS at levels just below these standards All three wells are in the present inactive and are not providing water for the society Kohlmann noted The temporary restoration facility at Well No will ensure the well can safely be put back into utility to meet drinking-water standards he announced Related Articles Driver dies in single-vehicle crash in Scandia Emaciated stowaway cat determined in Minnesota after epic journey from China Stillwater Lift Bridge rescue call was false alarm bureaucrats say East Metro Softball Participant of the Year Forest Lake s Avery Muellner Retiring Woodbury city administrator says over years he s watched the city grow