The Hastings City Council has enlisted the help of a lobbyist in its pursuit of funding to fight the PFAS forever chemicals in the drinking water supply that is forcing the city to build three new water treatment plants.
The price tag for the new infrastructure is estimated at around $70 million.
While the city is working with Minnesota Pollution Control to pinpoint the source of the contamination, it needs to also act fast to remedy the situation. Many Metro Twin Cities communities share in a fund from a settlement with 3M, which has a manufacturing facility just north of the city in Cottage Grove.
PFAS has also been identified in the Mississippi River from St. Paul to Hastings, leading the Minnesota Department of Health to issue an advisory against elderly, pregnant or those breastfeeding from consuming fish caught in that section of the river.
Hastings has asked for help from the Minnesota Legislature and has pledges of help from local lawmakers in that quest for money.
The city will now contract with Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren to add more ammunition to the fight for funds after a unanimous council vote Monday night.
“Hastings, like many of the cities in the East Metro, has PFAS contamination (specifically PFOS and PFOA) in all six of our municipal wells. Unlike our neighboring cities, Hastings has been excluded from the state’s 3M Settlement Agreement of 2018,” City Administrator Dan Wietecha wrote in a memorandum to the council.
Time is of the essence for the city.
“Recent epidemiology and understanding of the health impacts of PFAS as well as new regulatory standards are expected to result in a Drinking Water Advisory for Hastings this spring, making for a health crisis for our 23,000 residents and businesses, requiring filtration infrastructure to remove PFAS from our drinking water,” wrote Wietecha.
The city put together a feasibility study for building three water treatment plants to remove PFAS and nitrates, which would allow connection to the water system of the Hastings Veterans Home to the city water system, which is also contaminated with PFAS.
“Hastings has begun design work to construct these treatment plants, and we are shovel-ready to begin construction this summer 2024, with competition in late 2027,” said Wietecha. “The estimated construction cost is $68.9 million, plus up to $1 million annually for operation and maintenance. This is beyond the city’s financial capacity, as it would double water rates in three years, triple in five years and continue increasing.”
The city council held a legislative workshop Feb. 20 and discussed bringing a lobbyist into the process.
“A lobbyist would bring knowledge of the legislative processes. A lobbyist would also ease staff of some time commitments, enabling attention to other just responsibilities besides PFAS,” said Wietecha.
The cost for hiring the firm is $4,000 per month.
“The term would presumably go through the 2025 legislative session, but it could be cancelled at any time,” Wietecha wrote.
