Woodbury Water Contamination: What To Know

WOODBURY, MN — The city of Woodbury is taking emergency action to build a temporary water treatment facility that will treat three of the city’s six water wells that exceed water quality standards for Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Woodbury City Council approved the measure at its Jan. 8, 2020 meeting.

PFAS are human-made chemicals. The problem with PFAS is that they do not breakdown in the environment.

The 3M Company made PFAS at its Cottage Grove facility from the late 1940s through 2002. PFAS wastes were disposed in Washington County, and they entered Woodbury’s groundwater.

Since 2017, the Minnesota Department of Health has issued health risk advisories on six of Woodbury’s 19 wells.

"The city has taken all six of these wells off-line, and water delivered to customers continues to meet all state and federal water quality standards," the city noted in a statement last week.

"However, it is critical the city implement temporary treatment options as soon as possible to allow the city to meet water demand on peak use days in summer 2020. If a temporary treatment option cannot be implemented in summer 2020, increased water restrictions may be needed to ensure the water system has enough pressure to meet demand."

3M and the state of Minnesota are funding the temporary water treatment facility. It will be located in the Tamarack well field north of Valley Creek Road and east of Tower Drive.

The facility is expected to be in operation until a long-term water treatment solution can be implemented approximately around 2025, the city notes.

Upcoming meetings

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are hosting three meetings this week regarding the 3M PFAS Settlement. The meetings are working group meetings open to the public. These working groups have been meeting monthly.

Citizen and Business Group

• Tuesday, Jan. 14, from 1-4 p.m.
• Training Room at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway South

Government and 3M Working Group

• Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m.-noon
• Ash/Birch Conference Room at Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road

Drinking Water Supply Technical Subgroup

• Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 1-4 p.m.
• Ash/Birch Conference Room at Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road

Find out more information here.