08-03-2025
Stillwater: PFAS water treatment open house set for March 17
Crews in Stillwater will begin construction later this year on a temporary facility to treat water from city wells to meet PFAS standards.
The facility, which will be located adjacent to Well No. 10 near Benson Park, is expected to be in operation until a permanent water treatment plant is built. The facility will use granular-activated carbon to treat water.
The city secured a $3 million grant from the Public Facilities Authority for construction of the temporary water treatment facility, said City Administrator Joe Kohlmann. Construction will begin as soon as possible with an anticipated 2026 operational date, he said.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found to have contaminated drinking water supplies in parts of the eastern Twin Cities, including in Stillwater's groundwater supply.
Two wells in the city – Well No. 6 and Well No. 10 – were found to contain PFAS at levels above health-based guidance values for drinking water. An additional well, Well No. 9, contains PFAS at levels just below these standards.
All three wells are currently inactive and are not providing water for the community, Kohlmann said. A temporary treatment facility at Well No. 10 will ensure the well 'can safely be put back into service to meet drinking-water standards,' he said.
PFAS contamination was first measured in the east metro in the early 2000s. Maplewood-based 3M Co. began making PFAS at a facility in Cottage Grove in the 1940s and historically disposed of PFAS wastes in four east-metro locations, the source of identified PFAS impacts in Washington County groundwater.
An open house on the project will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 17 at Stillwater City Hall.
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