Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the PFAS topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oneida County committee presses for coordinated PFAS response, limits on biosolid spreading
Summary
County staff and advocates urged clearer leadership and coordination on PFAS testing and biosolid management, including a recommendation to prohibit biosolid spreading on lands already identified as PFAS-contaminated and to involve Health and Solid Waste committees in planning.
The Oneida County Conservation/UW-Extension Education Committee on June 8 discussed countywide strategies to manage PFAS contamination and urged clearer coordination across departments and committees.
Eric Rempala told the committee that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reevaluating PFAS-related biosolid-spreading standards and shared both the proposed interim strategy and previous guidance for comparison. He said Oneida County Clean Water Action is part of a statewide PFAS coalition that submitted comments to the DNR and recommended local actions, including prohibiting biosolid spreading on lands already confirmed as PFAS‑contaminated (citing Stella as an example where EPA-supported testing has identified contamination). Rempala also urged ongoing soil testing and the clear identification and exclusion of contaminated parcels from spreading programs.
Rempala recommended that Oneida County define leadership and decision-making authority for PFAS response and coordinate across committees and departments. He specifically suggested involving the Health Department and the Solid Waste Committee in decisions about biosolid management, and noted that UW–Extension and the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) could provide technical and organizational support.
Chair Robb Jensen said he would follow up with County Board Supervisor Fried to clarify whether PFAS should continue as separate, recurring agenda items for multiple committees or whether an ad hoc committee or other centralized approach would be more effective. Linda Conlon told the committee that PFAS has been a standing agenda item for the Board of Health since the Stella issue surfaced and supported a unified strategy to reduce duplicate efforts across committees. Conlon said the WCA requested an article from the Health Department outlining Oneida County’s PFAS efforts and proposed a collaborative piece that would pull contributions from multiple organizations to capture the county’s history of actions and ongoing needs.
Committee members discussed upcoming DNR stakeholder listening sessions and encouraged participation, noting limited meeting capacity for some smaller communities. There were no formal votes on PFAS policy during the meeting; the committee recorded direction for follow-up and potential coordination with UW–Extension and WCA resources.
Next steps: Chair Jensen will pursue clarification of committee roles and potential coordination, and staff indicated they will continue local soil testing and outreach to affected communities.
