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Supervisor urges county to track PFAS grant opportunity after high readings in village of Maine
Summary
Supervisor Robinson flagged the state PFAS trust fund grant program, noting the fund sets aside $70 million for community grants that can fund private well sampling through local government units and that a 20% local match will be required; he urged the county to consider involvement given high PFOS readings in the Village of Maine.
During budget discussion the committee heard from Supervisor Robinson, who urged staff to consider pursuing or supporting state PFAS community‑grant opportunities tied to the PFAS trust fund. Robinson said the governor allocated roughly $70 million of a $131 million trust fund to community grants that may fund private well sampling but require a local governmental unit to perform the sampling and a 20% local match.
Robinson called attention to elevated PFOS concentrations associated with a Greystone 3M facility and noted prior exceedances in area elementary schools and other sites. He said members of the DNR cost work group briefed him on the statutory framework and that DNR rulemaking remains ongoing. "If the county proceeds and becomes involved in that PFAS sampling event, you might want to have the ability to recoup that 20% match," Robinson said, noting match requirements can be satisfied through in‑kind contributions or charging property owners.
Committee members supported further conversations; Supervisor Rosenberg and others said PFAS testing is costly for private individuals (one supervisor estimated about $400 per test) and recommended the county monitor DNR rule development and guardrails for applying for grants.
