In the heart of Wisconsin, a battle against the insidious 'forever chemicals' is being waged, with communities like Wausau at the forefront. These chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have been a persistent and costly problem for years, and the recent federal funding of $15 million is a crucial step towards addressing this crisis. However, the story of PFAS contamination in Wisconsin is far from over, and it's a tale of resilience, innovation, and the ongoing struggle for clean water.
The Forever Chemicals
PFAS are a group of over 10,000 synthetic chemicals that have been used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products since the 1940s. They are called 'forever chemicals' because their chemical bonds are incredibly resistant to breaking down, meaning they persist in the environment and accumulate in human tissue over time. From nonstick cookware to firefighting foam, these chemicals have been a part of our lives, but their environmental and health impacts are now coming to light.
The health risks associated with PFAS exposure are alarming. Long-term exposure has been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, immune system disruption, and pregnancy complications. The EPA has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to two of the most studied compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). This is a critical issue, as PFAS contamination has been detected in water systems across Wisconsin, with a 2023 study finding PFAS in 71% of private wells statewide.
Wausau's Experience
Wausau's journey with PFAS contamination offers a window into the long and expensive path to clean water. The city first detected PFAS in its wells during voluntary testing in 2019, with combined PFOA and PFOS levels ranging from 18 to 27.5 parts per trillion. At the time, the federal health advisory stood at 70 ppt, and no enforceable standard existed. City officials say the source of contamination has not been definitively established.
A second round of testing in early 2022 found PFAS in all six municipal wells at levels from 23 to 48 ppt, exceeding a proposed Wisconsin standard of 20 ppt. The city held a public press conference in February 2022 alongside state health and environmental officials and distributed water filter pitchers to residents. What followed was years of costly construction. Wausau brought a new treatment plant online in December 2022 using a temporary anion exchange resin system, effective but expensive at roughly $800,000 per year to operate. The city then built a roughly $17 million granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration system as a permanent solution, borrowing heavily to fund it. That system, completed around 2024, has reduced PFAS in Wausau's drinking water to non-detectable levels. It earned an Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin in 2025.
The bill fell on ratepayers. Water rates for Wausau's roughly 40,000 residents more than doubled over five years, with the average annual water bill climbing from about $229 in 2021 to about $448 in 2024, as the city paid down infrastructure debt. To claw back some of those costs, the city joined a class action lawsuit against 15 chemical manufacturers and 61 insurance companies in December 2023, and has since received roughly $2.96 million in a Phase One payment from a national 3M settlement. The city expects a total of about $5 million after legal fees, with additional proceeds expected from a DuPont settlement and a special needs fund. Mayor Doug Diny has urged the City Council and Water Works Commission to use the money to pay down utility debt and stabilize rates, not to expand city services.
The Neighbors: Still in the Fight
While Wausau has largely turned the corner, the communities around it are at earlier and more precarious stages. Rothschild shut down a municipal well after PFAS was detected in 2022 and later moved forward with a new treatment facility expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The village's situation, like Wausau's, reflects the heavy capital investment small and midsize communities face as they work to meet stricter federal PFAS standards.
Weston took two municipal wells offline in 2022 after PFAS levels exceeded state health advisory levels. The village installed temporary GAC treatment for Well 4, allowing it to resume pumping later that year while officials pursued a permanent fix for Wells 3 and 4. A permanent GAC system was installed in 2025, and Well 4 began pumping through the new system in October, with half of the roughly $1.8 million construction cost covered through principal forgiveness under the state's Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. Well 3 remained offline at the end of 2025 and is expected to return to service in 2026 after additional treatment work.
Rib Mountain detected PFAS in two of its four municipal wells and installed interim resin filtration on Well #1 that has reduced levels to non-detectable amounts, while pumping from that well has helped pull contamination away from Well #2. The utility says its water remains safe and is not in violation of any drinking water standard, but a public notice issued in January 2026 confirmed that as of December 2025, PFAS levels in the system still exceeded Wisconsin's hazard index guidance. A permanent treatment plant began construction in mid-2024, with completion targeted for spring 2026.
The most alarming situation in the region may be unfolding not at a municipal well, but at 3M's Wausau Greystone site on Decator Drive. In February 2025, 3M's environmental consultant reported a hazardous substance discharge of PFAS at the site to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Subsequent groundwater testing found PFOA as high as 3,700 nanograms per liter at a monitoring well near a former colorant wastewater disposal area on the property, 925 times the 4 ng/L groundwater enforcement standard proposed by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The DNR issued a formal Responsible Party letter to 3M in March 2025, the first in Marathon County tied solely to PFAS contamination. The Marathon County Health Department separately alerted private well owners near the site, asking them to test their wells and offering help interpreting results. A class action lawsuit filed by nearby residents, who allege property damage and seek medical monitoring costs, is now moving toward a 2027 trial. Meanwhile, 3M's investigation, conducted by environmental consultant Tetra Tech and reviewed by the DNR, is ongoing, with additional soil testing planned.
For private well owners in that area, who have no municipal treatment system to fall back on, the EPA's Emerging Contaminants grant program, which explicitly covers private well testing and treatment, could be a critical resource. This program, which targets smaller water systems, has distributed $5 billion nationally over five years, with additional federal financing available through other channels.
The Federal Announcement
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed Monday's action as both a continuation and a correction of Biden-era PFAS policy, pledging to maintain core drinking water protections while addressing what he called legal missteps by his predecessor. The Trump EPA is pursuing two new proposed rules. The first would allow eligible water systems to apply for up to two additional years, until 2031, to comply with PFOA and PFOS limits. Extensions would not be automatic; systems would need to apply and meet specific criteria. Those that do not opt in would face the original 2029 deadline. For communities like Rothschild and Mosinee still working to get treatment systems in place, that additional runway could matter.
The second proposed rule takes aim at Biden-era limits on four additional PFAS compounds, including GenX chemicals. The Trump EPA contends the previous administration violated the Safe Drinking Water Act by combining regulatory steps that are required by law to be sequential, denying the public a proper opportunity to weigh in. The agency is proposing to restart that process and says the outcome could ultimately produce stricter standards than those now in effect.
EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel said the Wisconsin funding reflects the scale of the challenge facing communities across the Midwest. 'This funding represents another crucial step to deliver clean, safe drinking water to the communities that have been carrying the burden of PFAS for too long,' Vogel said. 'By pairing significant federal investment with strong partnerships across Wisconsin, we're making real progress to reduce exposure, strengthen local resilience, and ensure every household can trust the water coming from its tap.'
The Wisconsin Funding
The $15.37 million for Wisconsin comes from the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant program, which targets exactly the kinds of smaller water systems that make up much of Marathon County's landscape. The money can be used for testing, planning, and physical infrastructure addressing PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and crucially, it can flow to private well owners, not just municipal systems. With this allotment, the EPA has distributed $5 billion through the program nationally over five years. Additional federal financing is available through other channels: $4 billion through Drinking Water State Revolving Funds targeting PFAS and emerging contaminants, and more than $6.5 billion in low-interest loans through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program.
The agency also launched a new initiative Monday called PFAS OUTreach, or PFAS OUT, designed to proactively help small, rural, and disadvantaged water systems reduce exposure to PFOA and PFOS while positioning them for federal compliance. That initiative is specifically aimed at communities with fewer financial and technical resources, a description that fits many of the smaller municipalities around Wausau. Wausau's years-long experience illustrates what awaits them: the engineering is straightforward, but the costs are steep, the timeline is long, and the financial burden falls heavily on ratepayers. Federal money of the kind announced Monday can ease that burden, but it will not eliminate it.
What Comes Next
The two proposed rules will be published in the Federal Register with a 60-day public comment period. The EPA will hold a public hearing on July 7, 2026. The agency is also developing regulations targeting PFAS discharge from industrial manufacturers and other facilities that release the chemicals into waterways, a rule that, if finalized, could have direct bearing on situations like the one unfolding at the 3M Greystone Quarry. That proposed rule has not yet been released for public comment.
For communities in and around Marathon County, the next steps are both regulatory and financial: applying for available grant funding, completing or beginning treatment infrastructure, and pressing polluters, in court or through the regulatory process, to pay for contamination they caused. Wausau has spent years doing exactly that. Its neighbors are now doing the same.
For information on Wisconsin's PFAS grant funding, visit epa.gov. The story of PFAS contamination in Wisconsin is far from over, and it's a tale of resilience, innovation, and the ongoing struggle for clean water. As the federal government steps up with funding and proposed rules, the communities affected by these 'forever chemicals' are taking action, determined to secure a healthier future for their residents.
