PFAS testing and Stormwater Permits

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you are enjoying your summer on the east side and all of the wonderful community events are giving you a reprieve from the continuous challenges we are seeing as a country and global community.

It has been a little while since I have done a District 6 update and I am going to be changing the format of my updates. I used to provide a long form style update that was quite dense and approximately quarterly. This format is not as suitable to a rapidly changing world that I sometimes find hard to keep up with as I am sure you do as well.

I will be using this space to provide more frequent shorter updates and then use my social media, neighborhood newsletters and community meetings to go more in depth on topics. I hope to see many of you at the Fete De Marquette this weekend!

Dane County challenged a Wisconsin DNR storm water permit that required PFAS testing. The claim was that this testing was duplicative of what was required in a remediation plan that is ongoing.

My main goal is to ensure that thorough PFAS testing is conducted, the results are publicly reported and that we are mindful of new EPA guidance that says any level of PFAS in our water is a a threat to public health.

I was recently elected chair of the Environment, Ag, and Natural Resources committee and we are holding a hearing on this tonight. It is the only item on our agenda and is a special meeting. Here are the question I intend to ask:

What PFAS testing is the County doing under the remediation plan?
How does this differ from what the DNR is asking for?
Where is the County publishing its PFAS tests?
Can EANR be CC'd on all PFAS tests that are conducted and submitted to the DNR?
Does the testing the County is doing under the remediation plan meet or exceed what the DNR is requesting?
The stormwater permit compels the County to perform PFAS testing. Does the remediation plan compel the County to stick to a PFAS testing plan? What enforcement mechanisms are there to ensure that the County is sticking to that plan? Can the remediation testing plan be provided to EANR and the County Board?
What is the process for appealing the stormwater permit? Can the County Board have any involvement in that process or is there any oversight capabilities that the ordinances provide?

You can get a lengthier explanation of this issue in this excellent WORT-FM story:

https://www.wortfm.org/dane-county-sues-dnr-over-pfas-regulations-for-stormwater-permit/

Here is a link to our meeting tonight that you can attend in person or virtually:

https://dane.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=988099&GUID=2831AAD8-A616-4A54-9826-9844DA1531F6&Options=info|&Search=

D6 Updates

PFAS testing and Stormwater Permits