Eau Claire Begins Construction on PFAS Removal Facility

The Eau Claire Water Treatment Plant will soon be able to remove PFAS from the water supply after the City broke ground on a new facility.

Plans for the new PFAS removal facility have been in the works since the City discovered the forever chemicals a few years ago. The chemicals were first detected in the drinking water in June of 2020. Then in July of 2021, the City’s water supply went over the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ hazard index for the first time.

As the levels of PFAS contamination continued to rise, the City was forced to shut down a number of wells near the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport. Despite the shut down of multiple wells, the City was still able to meet the area’s water demand without imposing any restrictions.

In total, the new facility is expected to cost $20 million. According to a WQOW report, City of Eau Claire officials say their hope is most of the costs will be covered by a settlement with 3M. Further federal funding for the facility was secured by Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Derrick Van Orden.

The new PFAS removal facility will be built right next to the current water treatment plant and take about 18 months to be completed. It will be able to test the water supply then remove and dispose of the harmful chemicals.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers visited the water treatment plant in July, learning more about the process of removing the chemicals and what the plant needed to get it done. He also used the visit to criticize the state legislature’s Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee, which has refused to release $125 million to help address PFAS contamination across the state.