West Lafayette council adopts updated local wastewater limits; residents press for PFAS monitoring amid SK hynix concerns

The West Lafayette Common Council on June 2 adopted an amendment to Chapter 40 of the city code that sets revised local limits for industrial wastewater discharges, adds chloride and fluoride to the list of regulated pollutants and raises surcharge rates for high-strength effluent.

The ordinance, introduced as Ordinance 28-20-25, passed on a roll-call vote of six yeas and no nays after the council approved an amendment to lower the proposed selenium limit. City Utility Director Dave Henderson told the council the limits were developed with input from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and federal guidance, and that the changes are intended to protect the city’s wastewater treatment plant and the Wabash River.

Why this matters: West Lafayette is preparing for possible industrial customers and a large semiconductor project discussed in public comment; residents, scientists and health professionals pressed the council to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and to ensure monitoring and disposal plans before new industrial dischargers begin operations.

Henderson said the city worked “in cooperation with Paul Heggenbotham, the Assistant Commissioner of Water at IDEM,” and used background sampling of the Wabash River and the city’s removal efficiencies to set the limits. He told the council the changes also add…