WOODBURY, Minn — The Woodbury City declared an emergency, of sorts, this week in order to expedite construction of a temporary water filtration plant.
This will enable the city to bring back some of the water wells that have been taken off line, due to contamination from PFAS chemicals traced to materials 3M dumped decades ago at disposal sites throughout the East Metro.
"We have 19 groundwater production wells here in the city of Woodbury. Right now, we have six of them we’ve taken out of service," Jim Westerman, the city's utilities director, told KARE.
"Those six were taken out of service because they have health advisories from the Minnesota Department of Health due to PFAS levels."
The treatment plant will be built at a site northwest of Woodbury City Hall, in an area that is near three of the shuttered water wells. The city doesn't have a traditional central water treatment plant.
Woodbury's tap water has been deemed safe to drink, and it's tested regularly against state and federal standards. And there's plenty of clean water to supply wintertime needs.
So, there's no "water emergency" in the traditional sense of the word. But city leaders are concerned about being able to meet peak demands during the hotter summer months using just 13 of its ground water wells.
It's not as though the water in the aquifers beneath the city became more contaminated. The state lowered the acceptable PFAS exposure thresholds, causing more of Woodbury's wells to fall out of compliance.
The estimated $7.5 million cost will be covered by the MPCA and 3M, which has agreed to pay certain costs as part of court consent decrees and lawsuit settlements.
The plant is considered a temporary water treatment solution, because it will be in use until more permanent fixes can be found. Westerman said Woodbury and cities throughout the Twin Cities East Metro are working with state agencies and 3M on long-term water supply plans.
"The range of options is still being discussed. It could be new wells in certain areas, different levels of treatment, or bringing in new sources of water such as surface water."
PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that were used in a variety of consumer and industrial products. Exposure to high levels of these chemicals has been linked in some studies to adverse health effects such as higher cholesterol and thyroid problems.
MPCA Commissioner Laura Bishop said Woodbury's plant won't be in direct competition with other water infrastructure projects in the Governor Walz's public works bonding plan, because of 3M's agreements with state agencies.
In February of 2018, 3M agreed to give the state of Minnesota $850 million, as part of a settlement of a groundwater contamination lawsuit brought by then-Attorney Gen. Lori Swanson.
3M disputes that the chemicals detected in groundwater have caused any ill health effects.
"While we have never believed there is a PFC-related health issue, this agreement allows us to move past this litigation and work together with the state on activities and projects to benefit the environment and our communities," John Banovetz, a 3M senior vice president, said when the agreement was announced.
