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Village committee presses state DNR over PFAS funding treatment and settlement accounting

Village of Weston Public Works Committee · February 9, 2026

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Summary

Staff told the committee settlement payments from manufacturers total roughly $2.3 million and $1.4 million has been received; staff said DNR’s proposal to reduce safe-drinking-water loan awards by settlement amounts could constrain treatment for other wells and the committee voted to support further negotiations with DNR.

Staff members briefed the committee on the village’s PFAS response program and recent settlement payments on Feb. 9.

Staff member (S4) said the village had received construction authorization for Well 3 and that Well 4 is running through granular activated carbon treatment at full capacity. “We received 50% principal forgiveness on our loan currently for Well 4,” S4 said, and staff are seeking similar forgiveness for Well 3. S4 reported that the village expects just over $2,000,000 from 3M and about $215,000 from DuPont under initial settlement allocations and that the village has received approximately $1.4 million to date. S4 said the settlement documents allocate roughly 60% for infrastructure and 40% for operations and maintenance.

The briefing included an explanation of how the settlement accounting affected the village’s safe-drinking-water loan eligibility. S4 said the DNR indicated it might reduce safe-drinking-water loan awards by an amount equal to anticipated settlement receipts; staff disputed that interpretation and have asked the DNR to consider reducing loans only by the infrastructure share tied to the specific well project (S4 gave the example of $329,000 tied to the Well 3 infrastructure portion). S4 said that if the DNR’s broader interpretation stands, it could shift settlement proceeds away from needed capital work on other wells and would increase rate impacts on customers.

Committee members asked technical questions about well locations and comparative contaminant levels. Staff described that newer wells (6, 7 and 8) have low PFAS levels and that Wells 1 and 5 — located near Kennedy Park and pumping from the same aquifer — are currently offline and likely will require treatment before being returned to service. Staff also reviewed options including building additional low-PFAS production wells versus installing treatment at existing wells, noting aquifer pumping limits and added costs for rerouting mains.

After discussion, Unidentified Speaker S8 moved that the committee support continued negotiations with the DNR to clarify how settlement funds should be applied against loan awards; Unidentified Speaker S1 seconded the motion and the committee approved it by voice vote.

What happens next: staff will continue discussions with the DNR about how settlement proceeds are counted against loan awards and return with updated financial implications when the state responds. The timeline for turning Wells 1 and 5 back on depends on funding and treatment planning.