Senator Baldwin Visits Wausau to Highlight $3.3 Million for PFAS Remediation in Wausau and Rib Mountain

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin joined city officials from Wausau and Rib Mountain to tour the new Wausau Water Treatment Plant and highlight the over $3.3 million in federal funding Senator Baldwin secured for PFAS remediation for the City of Wausau and the Rib Mountain Sanitary District. 

At the Wausau Water Treatment Plant, Senator Baldwin learned how the plant is discovering and filtering out harmful contaminants from the city’s drinking water and discussed the installation of PFAS remediation technology using $1.6 million in federal funding secured by Senator Baldwin for both the City of Wausau and the Rib Mountain Sanitary District. The funding for Wausau and Rib Mountain was included in the annual government funding legislation for 2023 that was signed into law late last year. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Baldwin worked with communities across Wisconsin, including Wausau and Rib Mountain, to secure investment in local projects in the final passage of the Fiscal Year 23 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The funding will help the municipalities investigate, assess, and implement PFAS treatment.

“We’re so grateful for Senator Baldwin’s steadfast support and advocacy for every resident in the City of Wausau. The funding through this congressionally directed spending language will help the utility pay for a permanent solution to PFAS contamination in Wausau’s wells,” Katie Rosenberg, Mayor of the City of Wausau. “We know that granular activated carbon systems are both reliable and long-lasting, so it will remove PFAS and other emerging contaminants for decades to come. Thank you to the senator for her hard work and belief that local governments can solve our shared constituents’ problems if we are given the right resources.” 

“We all have had some sleepless nights in Rib Mountain regarding the PFAS issues, but the funding Senator Baldwin secured will allow us all to sleep a little more easily,” Fred Schaefer, Rib Mountain Supervisor.

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