The Hastings City Council will discuss whether or not to opt out of settlements with two companies responsible nationwide for PFAS pollution entering drinking water.

The city is looking at a $69 million project to remediate PFAS and nitrates from city drinking water that it hopes to do in three phases starting next year.

Class action litigation against 3M and DuPont is being overseen by the US District Court in South Carolina. Settlements in the neighborhood of $10.5-$12.5 billion are expected from 3M and $1.2 billion from DuPont.

Settlements are proposed to be paid over nine years, and also would be minus legal and administrative costs.

In the settlement, Hastings could be eligible to receive between $2.7-$4.6 million from 3M and between $260,00--$440,000 from DuPont.

The city obviously would like the money, but if it settles now, it can make no further claims against the company. The city is working with Minnesota Pollution Control to see if there is a link to the 3M plant just to the north in Cottage Grove, and the Hastings PFAS pollution.

In a memo to the council last week, City Administrator Dan Wietecha wrote, “This is more than we had previously estimated but still far less than the estimated $69 million to construct three treatment plants plus operation and maintenance of $880,000 to $ 1 million per year, increasing over time.

“Participation in the class action settlement would preclude the city making additional claims against 3M and DuPont. We are presently working the with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency ‘superfund’ process for additional investigation to determine if there is a direct link from the 3M Cottage Grove disposal site and Hastings’ drinking water supply.”

If the city elects to opt out of the settlements, it must do so by early December or it is automatically included in the agreements.