The location of Well No. 9 has been identified probably over 10 years ago.”

Public Works Director Ryan Stempsk

The Hastings City Council took several major steps Monday night in the city’s ongoing response to PFAS contamination in the municipal water system, including advancing plans for a second water treatment plant, authorizing work on a new municipal well and warning residents that another water rate increase could be coming this summer.
At the Monday, May 4 meeting, city officials said Hastings residents could see an additional 10 percent increase in water rates effective July 1, depending on whether the city receives additional state funding during the remainder of the legislative session.
The discussion came as city staff updated council members on the massive and costly effort underway to address PFAS contamination in Hastings’ drinking water system.
City Administrator Dan Wietecha told council members the city continues to move aggressively on construction of multiple treatment facilities while also pursuing grants, state bonding support and possible litigation against companies responsible for the contamination.
“Hastings has PFAS contamination in all six of our municipal wells,” Wietecha wrote in his report to the council.
According to the city memo, PFAS contamination has been found in all six wells, while PFOS contamination has been detected in two wells. The city has also discovered PFOA contamination above the Environmental Protection Agency limit at the future Well No. 9 site planned for service expansion.
The EPA finalized new drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals last year, establishing maximum contaminant levels of four parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS. Hastings officials said five of the city’s six wells exceed those standards.
Wietecha’s update noted the city’s current estimated cost for the three-treatment-plant solution has climbed to approximately $70.3 million, with annual operation and maintenance costs expected to exceed $1 million per year.
Even after securing more than $23 million in grants and outside assistance, the city projects water rates will rise a total of 159 percent between 2024 and 2028.
“We continue to pursue additional assistance to bring this down,” Wietecha wrote.
The city has already secured a $3.2 million planning and design grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, $15.1 million from the East Metro 3M settlement and a $5 million Emerging Contaminants Grant for the central water treatment plant.
Additional funding approvals totaling another $6 million are still pending final contracts.
Wietecha also reported that city officials met with state legislators April 23 to advocate for additional bonding support and an increase to the state’s Emerging Contaminants Grant program.
The council also received an update on possible legal action connected to the contamination issue. Wietecha reported the city hired Pawa Law Group on April 20 to assist with potential litigation against one or more defendants connected to PFAS contamination.
Eastern treatment plant advances
One of the largest agenda items Monday involved the proposed Eastern Water Treatment Plant near 850 Spiral Blvd.
The council approved the site plan and authorized plans and specifications for bidding on the facility, which will serve as one of three planned treatment plants intended to remove PFAS from Hastings drinking water.
The Planning Commission had unanimously recommended approval of the project at its April 27 meeting.
The proposed facility would include an 11,454-square-foot treatment plant using granular activated carbon filtration systems to remove PFAS compounds from raw water.
According to planning documents, the treatment process uses lead-lag filtration vessels in which PFAS compounds adhere to activated carbon media. Once saturated, the carbon media would be removed and incinerated to destroy the contaminants.
The plant is also being designed with future ion exchange systems for nitrate removal.
Planning documents showed the treatment plant will include fluoride and chlorine feed systems and require routine daily inspections by Public Works staff.
Commissioners previously asked questions regarding parking, lighting, security and construction timelines before recommending approval.
The facility will sit adjacent to industrial property and near large-lot residential homes south of the site.
Plans call for extensive landscaping and architectural treatments intended to blend the building into the surrounding area. City planning documents state the building façade will use brick, translucent panels and metal materials with hidden fasteners to avoid large uninterrupted wall surfaces.
The city also plans to update the existing wellhouse on the property to match the appearance of the new facility.
Construction work on the eastern treatment plant is expected to move forward quickly after bidding.
The council also authorized professional design and bidding services for Well No. 9, another key component of the city’s water infrastructure expansion.
Public Works Director Ryan Stempski told the council the well has long been planned as part of the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Water Plan to meet future water demand needs.
“The location of Well No. 9 has been identified probably over 10 years ago,” Stempski said during the meeting. “We did investigations. We evaluated production of aquifer, and we determined Wallin Park was the location of Well No. 9.”
Stempski said the city has continued monitoring groundwater elevations and aquifer performance at the site for years in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The council approved a contract with WSB for engineering, architectural and bidding services totaling not more than $165,892.
The overall project budget for Well No. 9 is approximately $1.7 million.
The project includes construction of a new municipal well drilled approximately 400 feet into the Jordan aquifer formation, along with a wellhouse, backup generator, electrical systems and landscaping improvements.
Because PFAS contamination has also been detected at the future well site, the water produced there would eventually require treatment at the planned western water treatment plant.
Stempski emphasized that the Wallin Park facility is not a treatment plant, but simply a municipal well structure.
Council member Tim Lawrence also stressed that distinction during discussion.
“This is not a water treatment plant,” Leifeld said. “It is a well, a well to get water out of the ground.”
Stempski said the city intends to work closely with neighborhood residents on the appearance of the wellhouse through public meetings and renderings.
“We will do mailings direct to the neighborhood, all of our classic ways for touching folks to make sure they’re informed,” Stempski said.
The city expects to complete design work through late 2026, bid the project in early 2027 and complete construction later next year.

Bond sale approved
Earlier in the meeting, the council approved the issuance and sale of general obligation bonds connected to several city infrastructure projects, including Well No. 9 and neighborhood improvements.
Finance Manager Chris Eitemiller said the bond package finances the 2026 neighborhood infrastructure project, the new well and utility work tied to the future Highway 61 project.
Northland Securities representative Tammy Omdal told council members the city received seven bids for the bonds and retained its AA-plus bond rating from Standard & Poor’s.
Omdal said Hastings’ high credit rating helped produce favorable bidding results.
“About 15 percent” of rated Minnesota cities hold the same AA-plus rating, she said.
The low bid came from TD Financial Products of New York City, producing a true interest cost of approximately 3.13 percent — lower than previous projections. According to Omdal, the city’s last bond issuance carried an interest cost of about 3.45 percent.
The final bond amount approved by the council totaled approximately $6.4 million following adjustments tied to bidding premiums and reduced borrowing needs.