Staff outline water and sewer upgrades; say city water safe amid PFAS concerns

The commission reviewed Chapter 6 (public utilities and infrastructure). Scott Lang and Josh Sadler described recently completed and upcoming studies: a water system model is complete and will feed a facility plan, the city is planning a new elevated tank (tank 4 replacement) and Well 10 is coming online. Lang said the water model will help assess pressures, storage and whether production and storage are adequate as the city grows.

On sanitary sewer, staff described priority trunk lines, including excavation and installation along Highway 1416 and planned bids this year for the Cheyenne and Westgate sewer segments; staff said those trunk systems are prerequisites for development in the southern parts of town. Regarding stormwater, staff said the city has historically addressed drainage project-by-project and will use a master stormwater plan—partly funded through base-related dollars—to create a more coordinated approach and to strengthen ordinances.

Commissioners raised questions about contamination from the base (PFAS). Lang said the base is leading the next round of investigations and is funding connections for properties with contaminated wells. "We know our water's safe," Lang said, explaining the city draws from deep Madison bedrock aquifers and that PFAS in the area is primarily tied to firefighting foam used at the base and persists at low, microgram-per-liter (parts-per-billion) levels in soils and groundwater. Staff said they are coordinating with the base on remediation and connection plans but that long-term remediation remains an ongoing, multi-stage process.