Rib Mountain first in the state to use PFAS removal treatment system

RIB MOUNTAIN, Wis. (WSAW) - Well NO. 1 in the Town of Rib Mountain is back online. The municipal well was closed back in December because PFAS were found in the well’s water.

The Town of Rib Mountain has implemented a new filtration system that cleans the water to non-detectable levels of PFAS. The Rib Mountain Sanitary District is the first in the state to use a PFAS removal treatment system, according to the DNR.

“This is our interim step. This will be in place for the next 2 years and so this will be treating the PFAS from this well and hopefully protecting the other wells as it draws water to it,” said

”So our other wells still have some lower levels of PFAS but hopefully what will happen is this well, as we pump it more, will draw the PFAS away from our other wells and protect them and so then they’ll come to this well, and be treated to non-detect levels,” said Michael Heyroth, the utility director for the Rib Mountain Sanitary District.

The utility director for the Rib Mountain Sanitary District said it’s the resin inside of the blue tanks that attract PFAS. As the water is pushed through the system, the PFAS attach to the resin. The PFAS are then contained in the media of the filter. By the time the water leaves the filter, there are non-detectable levels of PFAS.

”So our other wells still have some lower levels of PFAS but hopefully what will happen is this well, as we pump it more, will draw the PFAS away from our other wells and protect them and so then they’ll come to this well, and be treated to non-detect levels,” said Heyroth.

The filtration system is a temporary system that will be used for the next 2 years. The Rib Mountain Sanitary District said its long-term plan is to build a full-scale treatment plant to remove PFAS and other contaminants.

Heyroth said they will be testing the water well every four weeks at the request of the DNR.

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