County endorses plan to seek treatment funding for PFAS in landfill leachate

Marathon County supervisors discussed adoption of the county’s Solid Waste Environmental Management Plan (Resolution 406-25) and the plan’s proposed approach to treating PFAS in landfill leachate at the July 17 meeting. Supervisor Robinson said the plan seeks Clean Water Fund support to install reverse-osmosis treatment that would concentrate PFAS and allow treated water to be managed on-site; Marathon County currently produces about 50,000 gallons of leachate per day and the proposed facility would have capacity for up to 100,000 gallons to accept waste from Portage and Shawano counties. Robinson said consolidating treatment could produce economies of scale and that federal funds for emerging contaminants could convert some loans to principal forgiveness. Solid Waste Director Hagenbuscher provided capacity and lifespan context: the county owns roughly 600 acres of solid-waste property with about 75 acres currently used for landfill footprint and one approved 30-acre cell not yet constructed; that additional cell could extend disposal capacity about 15–20 years. Robinson cautioned the county needs a joint-venture agreement with other counties (citing chapter 2 of the county ordinance) to spell out long-term funding and operational responsibilities, including post-closure maintenance obligations that may extend decades because PFAS are persistent. Why it matters: wastewater treatment plants are increasingly reluctant to accept landfill leachate because of PFAS; lacking local treatment options could leave counties with limited disposal choices and regulatory risk. The plan would not obligate the board to construct facilities or commit funding without subsequent approvals. Discussion vs. decision: supervisors said they intended to support the plan and asked staff to pursue funding avenues and joint-venture agreements; the transcript does not record a formal vote in the excerpt provided.