Winnebago County board approves RFP to study PFAS leachate pretreatment and seeks grant opportunities

The Winnebago County Solid Waste Board voted to ask staff to seek proposals for a leachate pretreatment feasibility study after staff briefed members on recent state legislative activity related to PFAS regulation and grant funding.

Director (S3) told the board that amendments to state bills (referenced in the packet) could make grant funding available for PFAS testing and pretreatment systems and could offer narrow exemptions from remediation statutes for landfills that implement or are working toward pretreatment. "Knowing this now," the director said, staff should evaluate technologies and the county’s needs and be prepared to apply for grant funding if the legislation passes. He said $30,000 is budgeted in 2026 for engineering and consultant work on leachate treatment feasibility and that a $120,000 environmental consultant budget already exists for related studies.

Board members asked whether the $120,000 was additive; Director (S3) responded that it was part of the existing budget and not an additional appropriation unless a separate task order is created. One board member (S5) asked whether staff should also pursue grant opportunities as part of the RFP; the director said grant pursuit would follow the feasibility work and be prioritized if eligibility and timing align.

The motion — to ask staff to seek proposals for leachate treatment feasibility and analysis in light of recent legislative activity addressing PFAS — was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

What happens next: staff will prepare and issue an RFP for engineering and feasibility analysis, evaluate technologies and regional demand, and return to the board with proposals and recommendations. If the state legislation authorizing grants advances, staff said the county would be positioned to apply.