“Fennimore was included as a recipient of this letter because it receives and treats wastewater from at least one significant industrial user via it’s sanitary sewer. This does not necessarily mean that the department has specific reason to expect that any industrial users of Fennimore’s sanitary sewer are a source of PFAS, but because PFAS most commonly originates from industrial sources, we are focusing on larger (i.e. significant) industrial sources in this first screening efforts.Envir Engineer Supervisor with the Wisconsin DNR Jason Knutson
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI-DNR) released its initial rounds of study for its statewide initiative to identify and quantify sources of perfluoroalkyl and polyfloroalkyl substances (PFAS, formerly referred to as PFCs.)
According to the WI-DNR, PFAS are “a group of human-made chemicals used for decades in numerous products, such as non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers, stain resistant sprays and fire fighting foam. These contaminates bioaccumulate in the food chain and have made their way into the environment through accidental spills of PFAS-containing materials, discharges of PFAS-containing wastewater to treatment plants and certain types of firefighting foams.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to some PFAS substances above certain levels may increase the risk of adverse health effects such as thyroid disease, low birth weights and cancer.
As part of this monitoring efforts, letters were sent in July to a selected 125 municipalities in the state with a request to participate in the voluntary PFAS testing program.
Fennimore was among those selected to participate.
“Fennimore was included as a recipient of this letter because it receives and treats wastewater from at least one significant industrial user via it’s sanitary sewer,” Envir Engineer Supervisor with the Wisconsin DNR Jason Knutson said. “This does not necessarily mean that the department has specific reason to expect that any industrial users of Fennimore’s sanitary sewer are a source of PFAS, but because PFAS most commonly originates from industrial sources, we are focusing on larger (i.e. significant) industrial sources in this first screening efforts.”
Knutson noted that the letter was sent on July 22, to all municipal treatment plants that regulate their own industrial users of the sanitary sewer, that have a significant industrial user, that have a nonsignificant industrial user belonging to certain industrial categories, or have know PFAS contamination in their plant influent or effluent.
The DNR requested that the selected municipalities begin sampling and analyzing water flowing in and out of the facilities for PFAS compounds “to gain a better understanding of how and where PFAS contaminants could be entering the air, land, and waters of the state before ultimately ending up in the public and private drinking water,” explained a Wisconsin DNR press release.
Upon further investigation following the initial released list of municipalities selected for voluntary testing, it was found that the city of Fennimore has not responded to the request. Knutson advised that a letter was sent via email and mail regarding the test and that, “As of today, we have not received any information from Fennimore related to its intent to participate in the sampling effort or Fate and Transport Study.”
“At this time all I can tell you is we are in the process of evaluating the Department of Natural Resources’ request,” Mayor Ryan Boebel said in a email to the Fennimore Times. “We have not made a commitment as to sampling at our facility at this time and will continue to work with the Department on a long term response to this issue.”
Voluntary
“The letter requested voluntary participation in this effort,” Knutson said. “We requested that publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) that plan to participate do so within 90 days of receipt of the letter, but as this is voluntary, we will continue to accept results even after this date.” Knutson advised that the 90 day window has just passed for the request with out results or an indication of whether Fennimore plans to participate in this effort.
Despite the steady trickle of information regarding PFAS contamination in larger communities like Madison and Milwaukee, Fennimore is not alone in not responding to the testing.
“A handful of facilities have sent in results and/or signed on for participation in the UW/State Lab of Hygiene Fate and Transport Study explained in the July 22 letter,” Knutson said. “We have also heard from other municipalities that they will participate once Wisconsin has certified laboratories for PFAS analysis. We intend to encourage participation in these efforts and to understand and eliminate any barriers to participation for specific POTWs, as it is in the public’s best interest for their utilities to sample for PFAS and, where PFAS is found at elevated levels, work with the department to address it at the source.”
Used since the 50s
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoralkyl substances or PFAS are a vast group of human-made chemicals which have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s.
“PFAS do not occur naturally and are widespread in the environment,” notes the DNR website. “They are found in people, wildlife, and fish all over the world. Some PFAS can stay in peoples’ bodies a long time and do not break down easily in the environment.”
The DNR website also echos Knutsons comments, that the 125 municipal wastewater treatment facilities, like that in Fennimore were selected for the request because “they are more likely to receive wastewater from businesses that knowingly or unknowingly use PFAS.”
Known soruces
Industries which are known sources of PFAS compounds include:
•Platers/metal finishers
•Paper and packaging manufacturers
•Tanneries and leather/fabric/carpet treaters
•Manufacturers of parts with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, Teflon type)
•Facilities that manufacture or use coatings
•Centralized waste treaters
•Dairy processing facilities and cheese makers, where milk supply is sourced from livestock grazing on fields that have received PFAS-contaminated biosolids
•Fire-fighting equipment manufacturers
•Military bases
•Airports
•Household cleaning product manufacturers.
It is expressed by the DNR that the list above may not be exhaustive.
The DNR explained in their initial press release that the testing was initaited following similar initiatives done in neighboring states.
“Based on initiatives by other states such as Minnesota and Michigan, it was discovered that PFAS could enter the municipal wastewater system.,” The DNR explained. “These legacy contaminants can be unintentionally transferred to farm fields through land spreading, to groundwater and our rivers and lakes through surface water discharges, and finally into our drinking water.”
In August, Governor Tony Evers also announced an effort to address PFAS contamination in the state.
Currently, the EPA does not have a federal drinking water standard for these contaminants.
In addition to the municipal wastewater treatment plant screening, the DNR has also conducted surface water and fish tissue sampling.
Results are slowly coming in with the most recent and largest findings coming from the Starkweather Creek in the Atwood neighborhood in Madison.
“The Starkweather Creek in Madison had the highest concentration of PFOA and PFOS among the samples received,” the DNR reported. “One known source of the PFAS is the fire training grounds at the Truax Field Air National Guard Base where PFAS-containing fire fighting foam products were used.”
Most recently, surface water sampling at the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport revealed PFAS.
“Sampling results sent to the Department of Natural Resources from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport show per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in several stormwater outfalls on the airport property,” a press release from the Wisconsin DNR shared. “In a letter sent to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, Wisconsin Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force on Oct. 17, the DNR informed airport and military officials that the sampling data collected by the airport indicates they are responsible for the PFAS contamination found in several stormwater outfalls at the airport.”
According to the WI-DNR, PFAS are “a group of human-made chemicals used for decades in numerous products, such as non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers, stain resistant sprays and fire fighting foam. These contaminates bioaccumulate in the food chain and have made their way into the environment through accidental spills of PFAS-containing materials, discharges of PFAS-containing wastewater to treatment plants and certain types of firefighting foams.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to some PFAS substances above certain levels may increase the risk of adverse health effects such as thyroid disease, low birth weights and cancer.
As part of this monitoring efforts, letters were sent in July to a selected 125 municipalities in the state with a request to participate in the voluntary PFAS testing program.
Fennimore was among those selected to participate.
“Fennimore was included as a recipient of this letter because it receives and treats wastewater from at least one significant industrial user via it’s sanitary sewer,” Envir Engineer Supervisor with the Wisconsin DNR Jason Knutson said. “This does not necessarily mean that the department has specific reason to expect that any industrial users of Fennimore’s sanitary sewer are a source of PFAS, but because PFAS most commonly originates from industrial sources, we are focusing on larger (i.e. significant) industrial sources in this first screening efforts.”
Knutson noted that the letter was sent on July 22, to all municipal treatment plants that regulate their own industrial users of the sanitary sewer, that have a significant industrial user, that have a nonsignificant industrial user belonging to certain industrial categories, or have know PFAS contamination in their plant influent or effluent.
The DNR requested that the selected municipalities begin sampling and analyzing water flowing in and out of the facilities for PFAS compounds “to gain a better understanding of how and where PFAS contaminants could be entering the air, land, and waters of the state before ultimately ending up in the public and private drinking water,” explained a Wisconsin DNR press release.
Upon further investigation following the initial released list of municipalities selected for voluntary testing, it was found that the city of Fennimore has not responded to the request. Knutson advised that a letter was sent via email and mail regarding the test and that, “As of today, we have not received any information from Fennimore related to its intent to participate in the sampling effort or Fate and Transport Study.”
“At this time all I can tell you is we are in the process of evaluating the Department of Natural Resources’ request,” Mayor Ryan Boebel said in a email to the Fennimore Times. “We have not made a commitment as to sampling at our facility at this time and will continue to work with the Department on a long term response to this issue.”
Voluntary
“The letter requested voluntary participation in this effort,” Knutson said. “We requested that publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) that plan to participate do so within 90 days of receipt of the letter, but as this is voluntary, we will continue to accept results even after this date.” Knutson advised that the 90 day window has just passed for the request with out results or an indication of whether Fennimore plans to participate in this effort.
Despite the steady trickle of information regarding PFAS contamination in larger communities like Madison and Milwaukee, Fennimore is not alone in not responding to the testing.
“A handful of facilities have sent in results and/or signed on for participation in the UW/State Lab of Hygiene Fate and Transport Study explained in the July 22 letter,” Knutson said. “We have also heard from other municipalities that they will participate once Wisconsin has certified laboratories for PFAS analysis. We intend to encourage participation in these efforts and to understand and eliminate any barriers to participation for specific POTWs, as it is in the public’s best interest for their utilities to sample for PFAS and, where PFAS is found at elevated levels, work with the department to address it at the source.”
Used since the 50s
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoralkyl substances or PFAS are a vast group of human-made chemicals which have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s.
“PFAS do not occur naturally and are widespread in the environment,” notes the DNR website. “They are found in people, wildlife, and fish all over the world. Some PFAS can stay in peoples’ bodies a long time and do not break down easily in the environment.”
The DNR website also echos Knutsons comments, that the 125 municipal wastewater treatment facilities, like that in Fennimore were selected for the request because “they are more likely to receive wastewater from businesses that knowingly or unknowingly use PFAS.”
Known soruces
Industries which are known sources of PFAS compounds include:
•Platers/metal finishers
•Paper and packaging manufacturers
•Tanneries and leather/fabric/carpet treaters
•Manufacturers of parts with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, Teflon type)
•Facilities that manufacture or use coatings
•Centralized waste treaters
•Dairy processing facilities and cheese makers, where milk supply is sourced from livestock grazing on fields that have received PFAS-contaminated biosolids
•Fire-fighting equipment manufacturers
•Military bases
•Airports
•Household cleaning product manufacturers.
It is expressed by the DNR that the list above may not be exhaustive.
The DNR explained in their initial press release that the testing was initaited following similar initiatives done in neighboring states.
“Based on initiatives by other states such as Minnesota and Michigan, it was discovered that PFAS could enter the municipal wastewater system.,” The DNR explained. “These legacy contaminants can be unintentionally transferred to farm fields through land spreading, to groundwater and our rivers and lakes through surface water discharges, and finally into our drinking water.”
In August, Governor Tony Evers also announced an effort to address PFAS contamination in the state.
Currently, the EPA does not have a federal drinking water standard for these contaminants.
In addition to the municipal wastewater treatment plant screening, the DNR has also conducted surface water and fish tissue sampling.
Results are slowly coming in with the most recent and largest findings coming from the Starkweather Creek in the Atwood neighborhood in Madison.
“The Starkweather Creek in Madison had the highest concentration of PFOA and PFOS among the samples received,” the DNR reported. “One known source of the PFAS is the fire training grounds at the Truax Field Air National Guard Base where PFAS-containing fire fighting foam products were used.”
Most recently, surface water sampling at the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport revealed PFAS.
“Sampling results sent to the Department of Natural Resources from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport show per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in several stormwater outfalls on the airport property,” a press release from the Wisconsin DNR shared. “In a letter sent to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, Wisconsin Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force on Oct. 17, the DNR informed airport and military officials that the sampling data collected by the airport indicates they are responsible for the PFAS contamination found in several stormwater outfalls at the airport.”
The DNR notes “If sites are discovered that have PFAS contamination, the DNR will work with responsible parties to investigate the contamination and take any other necessary actions (i.e., provide emergency drinking water or cleanup of soil).”
