Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is proposing to spend up to $425,000 and award a no-bid contract to design a filtration system for an East Side well contaminated with PFAS compounds.
The mayor said the city could have the state’s first-such treatment system for the ubiquitous fluorinated compounds known as “forever chemicals,” but must act quickly to get in line for federal clean water grants that will become available next year.
“Ensuring safe drinking water for all members of our community is one of the city’s most important responsibilities, and we have committed to keeping Well 15 offline until we have a PFAS treatment or filtration system,” Rhodes-Conway said in a written statement announcing the plan. “We are prepared to do everything we can to seize this funding opportunity to build Wisconsin’s first municipal PFAS treatment facility.”
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A group of UW-Madison students have equipped a Little Free Library in a Downtown park with a solar-powered battery that people can use to charge their phones and other electronic devices.
The Madison Water Utility shut down Well 15 on East Washington Avenue in 2019 after tests showed elevated levels of toxic PFAS compounds, likely the result of contamination at the nearby Dane County Airport.
The mayor and Ald. Nasra Wehelie said Monday they have drafted a resolution authorizing the utility to contract with AECOM for up to $375,000 in design and engineering services for a filtration system. The resolution includes another $50,000 for staff time.
According to a water utility memo, the no-bid contract is needed in order to have a “shovel ready” project to submit in October when the Department of Natural Resources accepts grant proposals for 2023.
The funds are part of more than $143 million in water funding provided to the state as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress last year. The bill provides $12.8 million in each of the next five years for projects targeting “emerging contaminants” in drinking water.
With many Wisconsin communities facing PFAS contamination, the competition for the grants is likely to be stiff, according to the memo. Utility leaders say the Well 15 project is likely to receive funding, but if it is rejected the contract would allow for work to be suspended, capping costs at about $160,000.

Well 15 serves areas along the East Washington corridor, the airport, the American Family area and East Towne. The Madison Water Utility turned off the well in 2019 after voluntary testing revealed elevated levels of highly fluorinated compounds known as PFAS.
According to the memo, AECOM was among eight nationwide consultants interviewed for the job but stood out “based on its proven experience and expertise in designing PFAS treatment facilities.”
The project will be led by a Stevens Point engineer whose team worked on the utility’s first iron and manganese treatment system in 2009, the memo states.
Water quality manager Joe Grande last year said a recommended carbon filtration system — which could remove both PFAS and volatile organic compounds in Well 15 — would cost about $670,000 to install and $136,000 to $300,000 per year to operate depending on the level of PFAS contamination allowed.
The utility has also sought federal funding to cover the $20,000 cost of testing every well twice a year for PFAS.
Tests conducted in 2020 showed PFAS present in all 22 of Madison’s active wells, though none above the state’s proposed safe drinking water limits. Testing done last fall found detectable levels in only 14 wells; one was above the Department of Health Services’ proposed action threshold and another two were within 90% of that mark.
Used for years in firefighting foam, stain-resistant fabrics, non-stick cookware and other products, the synthetic compounds do not break down naturally and have been linked to health problems including cancer, liver disease and high cholesterol.
Earlier this year, conservatives on the state’s natural resources board blocked proposed regulations to limit the amount of two PFAS compounds in drinking water, rejecting recommendations from state health officials.
Art of the Everyday: A recap of March in photos from Wisconsin State Journal photographers

With the warmest temperatures of the year taking hold in the area, a walker enjoys the day’s spring-like weather during a walk along the shoreline of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wis., Wednesday, March 16, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Yvette Pino, of Madison, Army veteran and curator of veteran art at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, does printmaking demonstrations from the window of the museum on Capitol Square in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 16, 2022. The event is part of Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) annual conference with printmaking demonstrations continuing Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and an exhibit "Wisconsin Was There: Sharing the Legacies of Printmakers Who Served in the Military" that displays prints by veterans with a connection to Wisconsin. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Odin, a 5-month-old puppy, looks inside while playing at Duncan's Dog Daycare in Madison, Wis., Monday, March 21, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

Sam Koblenski, right, holds an umbrella for his son Ian as he photographs fog over Lake Monona at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The duo was out photographing Frank Lloyd Wright architecture throughout Madison as a spring break homework assignment. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

John Berner, a preparator at the Chazen Museum of Art on the campus of UW-Madison, installs elements of “Suspended Landscapes,” a large-scale fabric piece by Toronto-based artist Amanda McCavour in the museum’s Paige Court in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Commemorating the museum’s 50th anniversary, the machine embroidered and stitched work incorporates native plant specimens held in the campus’ Wisconsin State Herbarium. The site-specific piece is comprised of 60 semi-transparent panels and will remain on display through mid-September. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Callie Stanley makes her way across an obstacle at the Madison College Challenge Course in Madison, Wis., Monday, March 21, 2022. The Craig High School softball team from Janesville was using the Challenge Course as a team building activity prior to the beginning of the season. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

Sunny skies and warmer temperatures encourage shorts and t-shirts from students with UW-Madison as they dodge sloppy conditions during a training run along Vilas Drive in Madison, Wis., Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Eluding a light rain shower under the cover of an umbrella, Jane Kroesen of Tucson, Ariz. walks along Century Ave. in Middleton, Wis., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. In the area to visit family, Kroesen said she was actually enjoying the conditions, as rain is infrequent in the desert southwest. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

A pedestrian is silhouetted by a neon wall at the central branch of the Madison Public Library in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 23, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

Mel Chin talks about his spider sculpture titled "Cabinet of Craving" at his exhibition "Mel Chin: There's Something Happening Here" at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Madison, Wis., Thursday, March 17, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

John Jaeggi, of Brooklyn, Wisconsin, left, and Roland Sahli, of Switzerland, judge rindless swiss during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 1, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Scott Amera, with his 1-year-old granddaughter, Ellie Amera, walk out of a barn that was damaged on his son and daughter-in-law's farm from a tornado that touched down Saturday night on Leslie Road in the town of Dunkirk, Wis., Tuesday, March 8, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Jennifer Angus, an insect artist and professor in Design Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison talks about her exhibit "Jennifer Angus: A is for Apple, B is for Bug, C is for Cicada" at the Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center in Spring Green, Wis., Thursday, March 24, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Epic employees move into the new Mystery Building on the Storybook Campus in Verona, Wis., Wednesday, March 23, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Kristina Whisenhunt, top, and Becky Rabensdorf use the German wheel at Madison Circus Space in Madison, Wis., Friday, March 11, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Middleton Co-op's Maddy Ahlborn (11) hits the net as teammate Rachel Jasinski (12) attempts to score against D.C. Everest Co-op's Dru Sabatke (23) and goalie Claire Calmes (31) in the second period of a WIAA girls hockey state semifinal game at Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Thursday, March 3, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Wisconsin's guard Brad Davison (34) deflects a pass intended for Iowa State's forward Aljaz Kunc (5) during the second half of Wisconsin’s 54-49 second round loss in the 2022 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., Sunday, March 20, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Gibraltar High School's Dex Tishler (30) battles against Randolph defenders for the ball during a WIAA Division 5 boys basketball state tournament semifinal at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Friday, March 18, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

Hudson's Brecken Meyer gets tangled up fighting for the puck against Edgewood's Paul Sergenian, 7, and J.J. Wiebusch, 6, during the third period of the Division 1 State Boys Hockey Championship game at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 5, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

Wisconsin's center Chris Vogt (33) falls into a row of photographers during the first half of he team’s second round game of 2022 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament against Iowa State in Milwaukee, Wis., Sunday, March 20, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Randolph’s Sam Grieger, left, and teammate Travis Alvin hug as they come off the court near the end of the Division 5 WIAA boys state basketball championship game where they defeated Bangor 65-51 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 19, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL

Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn (23) is embraced by teammates Chris Vogt, left, and Ben Carlson following the Badger's 70-67 win over Purdue at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 1, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

Westosha Central's Kenny Garth turns to present the sectional plaque to the student section following their 79-48 win over Oregon during a WIAA Division 2 boys basketball sectional final at Watertown High School in Watertown, Wis., Saturday, March 12, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

Madison Edgewood fans cheer as the team is introduced prior to their WIAA Division 1 state semifinal hockey game against Notre Dame de la Baie Academy at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Friday, March 4, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Hudson's Zach Kochendorfer, center, celebrates the team's victory over Edgewood in the Division 1 State Boys Hockey Championship game at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 5, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL

The final three participants of the 2022 Badger State Spelling Bee, Maadhav Karun, left, Maya Jadhav, center, and Aiden Wijeyakulasuriya, right, compete during the event at the Mitby Theater on the campus of Madison College in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 26, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL

Wisconsin's guard Brad Davison (34) reacts as time expires during Wisconsin’s 54-49 second round loss to Iowa State in the 2022 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., Sunday, March 20, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL