Press Release
For Immediate Release
June 23, 2022, 2:00 P.M.
Media Contact:
Keith Donner, Village Administrator, Weston, WI
715.359.6114 | kdonner@westonwi.gov
RE: Village of Weston Message on PFAS Drinking Water Sampling
On June 2nd, 2022, The Village of Weston completed an additional round of sampling for Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Well 4 in the water system which had previously shown to be impacted by PFAS. This notice is to inform you of the results and the next steps that we will be taking.
Results received on June 16, 2022 indicated PFAS detected in Well 4 were found to be above health-based advisory levels recommended by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). After consultation with Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the DHS, the Village has taken, or will be taking, additional action as follows:
- Well 4 was taken offline on Tuesday, June 21, in response to the recent sample results. Well 3 has also been offline since May 27th due to exceedance of DHS PFAS health advisory levels.
- The Village Board approved temporary treatment to remove PFAS at Well 4, and the Village expects this treatment to be active by early August 2022. This temporary treatment process will allow the Village to put Well 4 back in operation, supplying water with PFAS levels below DHS health advisory levels.
- The Village requests residents voluntarily reduce lawn watering this summer due to Wells 3 and 4 being offline. The Village can meet customers’ normal water demands for domestic use (cooking, drinking, washing) from the remaining wells (1, 5 and 6), but increased use for lawn watering in the summer season could force the utility to put Well 3 or 4 back in operation before temporary treatment is active.
The most recent sample analyses can be found on Village of Weston’s website: www.westonwi.gov/pfas.
We continue to work on long-term solutions to achieve PFAS levels below the current DHS health advisory levels of 20 parts per trillion from Wells 3 and 4. Planning is underway for the removal of PFAS from water supplied by Wells 3 and 4 using Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) at our existing treatment plant. Construction of Wells 7 and 8 will be starting this summer. The new wells should be supplying water in early 2023, completing a process which began several years prior to the recent findings of PFAS in the water system.
Water supplied to Weston Water Utility customers continues to meet existing drinking water standards and is below the DHS PFAS health advisory level. The utility is taking pro-active steps to reduce our customer's exposure to PFAS. Weston Utility customers can confidently and safely continue to use and consume water from the Weston water supply as normal.
For more information on PFAS please visit westonwi.gov/pfas
Sincerely,
Keith Donner, P.E. Michael Wodalski, P.E. Joshua Swenson
Keith E. Donner, P.E. Michael Wodalski, P.E. Joshua Swenson
Village Administrator Director of Public Works Utility Superintendent