DNR says cost to give water is $600K/year
Supplying French Island strains agency budget
MADISON – The state’s cost to supply bottled water to residents of French Island dealing with “forever chemical” contamination is expected to reach a half million dollars per year, potentially drawing down dollars for other environmental responses in the state.
Dave Rozeboom, a team supervisor for the DNR’s remediation and redevelopment program, said the anticipated cost for providing bottled water for the island near La Crosse will cost between $500,000 and $600,000 a year.
Because the cost of water was higher than anticipated for the community, money may be taken from other areas of the department’s Environmental Repair Fund to help cover the cost.
“There are numerous sites around the state that could benefit from this funding and we have to prioritize requests based on the known or potential risk to human health and the environment,” Rozeboom said. “Allotting $600,000 per year to one project means that our program cannot conduct investigation, remedial action or risk evaluation at other sites in need.”
The PFAS being found in drinking water across the island are likely the result of the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at the La Crosse Regional Airport for decades. PFAS were first detected on the island in 2014 in La Crosse municipal wells, and testing of private wells began late last year.
About 2,000 residents on French Island are currently receiving bottled water either from the City of La Crosse or through the department and have been since early this year after the discovery of how extensive the PFAS contamination was on French Island.
The agency is still working, along with the city, to determine the entire extent of the contamination and the sources it may have come from, other than the La Crosse Regional Airport. The DNR is encouraging residents to work with a water care specialist to determine the best method of water treatment for the specific circumstances, Rozeboom said, outside of receiving the bottled water.
So far, 553 wells have been sampled between the city’s effort, the department’s testing program and private well data submitted by residents concerned about their water. As of June, 13 wells showed no signs of PFAS
contamination, 140 wells had levels higher than the state’s recommended levels and 26 wells that had a PFAS Hazard Level Index level higher than 1, according to department data, which means that there is concern for the potential hazard of the mixture.
The airport inhabits the northern portion of the island, while the Town of Campbell inhabits the southern portion. French Island is across the Black River from the city and is home to about 4,300 residents. There are 1,200 private wells on the island.
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 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.
The DNR stepped in to increase the area being investigated at the end of March.
The city has already filed a lawsuit naming companies that manufactured the firefighting foam sold to the airport over the last several decades. The lawsuit will likely take years to work its way to a resolution or settlement.