At its Oct. 7 meeting, the Wausau Waterworks Commission heard updates on the utility’s lead service line replacement program, recent regulatory activity around PFAS, a DNR noncompliance letter tied to a spill, and the ongoing water meter replacement effort.

City staff said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) loan for the city’s 2025 lead service line replacement program is expected to close Nov. 26, with city council approval anticipated Nov. 11. Eric (presenting during the director’s report) said construction is slightly behind schedule but crews will continue through most of November and potentially into December, weather permitting. “We are anticipating replacing more services than we thought,” he said, and later said the city had completed “a little over 1,600” replacements this year and expects totals “to be about 2,300 by the end of this year.”

The commission was also briefed on the city’s outreach and funding posture. Eric said the DNR denied the city’s request to relax limits on non-construction expenses in the DNR loan; the city sent a council resolution and letters to state and federal offices and received acknowledgement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it had received the material.

Commissioners received an update on federal and state regulatory developments affecting water quality. Staff said the U.S. EPA is vacating a portion of its PFAS rule that created a hazard index for six PFAS chemicals while leaving earlier determinations for PFOA and PFOS intact. The DNR, staff said, retains authority to pursue state-level action independently; a timeline for any state action was not provided.

On a separate regulatory front, staff summarized the American Water Works Association petition and related EPA rulemaking around lead and copper rule improvements. The petition and potential federal rollbacks are being tracked because they could affect water system planning and multi-decade replacement schedules.

The commission reviewed the meter replacement program. Scott (utility staff) said the city replaced a bit over 2,000 meters this year and that roughly “a little over 6,000” remain to complete the system upgrade. At one point in the discussion Scott referenced the full system as containing about 17,000 meters and said roughly 11,000 have been replaced overall. He told commissioners the Wisconsin Public Service Commission requires meters be at least 91% accurate; “39% of our meters here failed to meet that accuracy rate,” he said, meaning those meters register less than 91% of flow. Scott said staffing and shortages of radio units that transmit meter reads remain constraints; he described prioritization by oldest meters and by locations that do not overlap heavily with ongoing lead service work.

Commissioners asked about a recent spill and DNR correspondence. Eric said the utility received a DNR letter of noncompliance stating an overflow spilled onto the ground; the overflow entered a retention pond in the Department of Public Works parking lot. He said there were no punitive damages and the DNR issued a closure letter saying no further action was required. Eric described cleanup work by wastewater and collection staff, disposal of recovered waste at the wastewater treatment plant, and jetting of storm sewers.

Why it matters: the city is balancing a large lead service program with meter and rehabilitation work while monitoring shifting federal and state drinking-water rules. Loan timing, outreach costs, meter accuracy and staffing all affect the utility’s ability to meet regulatory expectations and to bill accurately.

Looking ahead, staff said they will continue outreach with state and federal officials and will update the commission as regulatory timelines and funding notices become available.