The City of Hastings is arranging a community meeting for city water customers regarding PFAS contamination in the city water supply.
With the state Department of Health adopting new Environmental Protection Agency standards that lowered maximum of allowable PFAS and PFOS contamination in drinking water to 4 parts per trillion.
That means five of six Hastings municipal wells are above the allowable drinking water standards for PFAS.
City Administrator Dan Wietecha said that the meeting with representatives of the Department of Health and Department of Pollution control will be held within 30 days of the announcement of the new standards, which was Wednesday, April 10.
“Please stay tuned for notice of this meeting once we have it scheduled. Staff from the City, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Minnesota Department of Health will provide a presentation on recent water testing results, impacts of PFAS, updates on the investigations for sources of PFAS in the region, project details for the water treatment plants, and answer questions,” a release from the city stated. “Water customers are requested to share this information with all other people who consume City of Hastings water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly. (For example: people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses.) If you are a landlord, please post this notice in a public place or distribute copies by hand or by mail to your tenant(s).
For more information, please visit www.hastingsmn.gov/PFAS, or contact the City of Hastings at: Email: rstempski@hastingsmn.gov Phone: 651-480-2368.”
PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) are a family of manmade chemicals that have been widely used since the 1940s in products such as Teflon, Scotchgard, microwave popcorn bags, various industrial applications, cosmetics and other consumer products. They are referred to as “forever chemicals.” They don’t break down in the environment.
Hastings has embarked on a $68.9 million plan to build three water treatment plants that will connect to existing plants to remove PFAS from the drinking water supply to meet the new limits. Also affected is the well at the Hastings Veterans Home, and plans are for its water supply to be tied into the new city treatment system.
“Several PFAS chemicals are present in Hastings City wells but, until now, the levels did not exceed MDH guidance values. The levels of these contaminants remain the same in the Hastings water supply, but the threshold limit has now been lowered,” the city statement read. “The city takes this matter seriously and has been actively taking steps to mitigate this issue. However, this is not an emergency. You do not need an alternative source of water (such as bottled water), nor do you need to boil water before use. People with specific health concerns are encouraged to consult their doctor or health care provider. Residents with questions about the effectiveness of their home water treatment systems in filtering PFAS should consult with the system manufacturer or installation company.”
Wietecha told the Hastings City Council Monday night that the announcement last week “starts the clock for the city to do two things.” The first of which was announcing to the community that PFAS in the drinking water is above the standard.
The second and much more difficult one is to mitigate PFAS within five years.
“This is a $68.9 million project that would construct three water treatment plants to remove PFAS and nitrates from municipal drinking water, as well as the connection of the Hastings Veterans Home to the city water system. The project is currently being designed through a grant. Except for the money, this project is shovel ready to begin as soon as summer 2024. We are actively pursuing potential funding opportunities,” said Wietecha.
Wietecha briefed the community on PFAS at the first city council meeting this month and plans to continue to do so monthly.
With funding as the big question, the city has been working with state lawmakers. Both Sen. Judy Seeberger (Districts 41) and Rep. Shane Hudella (District 41-B) are supporting the city and have introduced legislation.
“The city has submitted PFAS Treatment and Raw Water Lines for consideration in the state’s 2024 Capital Budget due to the budget-busting expense, the fact that the treatment is to remove contamination/pollution caused by others, and the suddenness of new regulations preventing financial planning,” Wietecha told the council. “Since before the session, we have met with several key legislators and the governor’s office to advocate for funding. We have repeatedly been told that the project should be reduced in scale (for example, by phasing it as one plant per year for three years) and potentially have additional financial contribution from the city.”
The city council last month approved a contract with lobbyist Margaret Vesel of Larkin-Hoffman to help work with lawmakers.
“We intend to continue meeting with elected officials and staff through the end of session in late May (the State Bonding Bill is typically at the end of session),” said Wietecha.
The city is looking to all options to funding and tracing the source of the PFAS should be key to that. The PFAs remediation project has been submitted for the State’s Drinking Water Revolving Fund Project Priority List and expects to be ranked near the top of the list there. It could yield $3-$9 million depending on if the project is broken into three phases.
“Federal earmarks may be also an option to close a gap or fund a portion of the project,” said Wietecha.
Wietecha said the Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments “are showing promise.”
“The Phase 1 ESA found a proprietary compound HQ-115/TFSI produced at 3M-Cottage Grove in one of the Hastings municipal wells,” according to Wietecha. “Updated mapping of the Minnesota Geologic Survey shows faults in the bedrock under the Mississippi River. The Phase II ESA is ongoing.”
The MPCA has asked 3M to model its discharge in the Hastings area.
“3M’s modeling is scheduled for completion at the ed of March, and we anticipate review of its results and meeting with MPCA and 3M by mid/late April,” according to Wietecha.
If the PFAS is traceable to 3M’s Cottage Grove facility, the city likely could tap into several settlement funds that other nearby communities affected by PFAS contamination from the firm have.
