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Stillwater requests $40M for PFAS treatment; city warns capacity limits on borrowing
Summary
Stillwater officials asked for $40 million in bonding to treat PFAS in multiple wells and said municipal borrowing capacity and staffing constraints make the project unaffordable without state support.
Representative Joe Seihill (Joe Seihill / Rep. Hill) and Stillwater Mayor Jed Kozlowski told the Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 27 that six municipal wells have been impacted by PFAS and that the city needs roughly $40 million to treat and reconfigure well connections.
Mayor Kozlowski said Stillwater has about 19,000 residents and multiple impacted wells; city officials described the issue as beyond the capacity of the local workforce and financing. City Administrator Joel Coleman told the committee that estimates ran about $10 million per well for treatment and that the city’s prudent maximum borrowing would be about $80 million in total debt, of which roughly $30 million is already in place for existing capital needs. Coleman said adding $40 million in debt would jeopardize routine borrowing for public‑safety equipment and other capital projects, and he urged the committee to consider phased funding approaches.
Nut graf: Stillwater asked the committee for state help and said the city is willing to provide local matches and to phase construction, but that without assistance the project is impractical for a community of its size.
Administrator Coleman described planning that would allow phasing—treating the highest producing wells first—and said the city has pursued federal contacts but does not expect major federal assistance in the near term.
Ending: The presentation was informational; no funding decision was made and staff said the city will continue to pursue partnerships and federal outreach.
