Not long ago, it was perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — the so-called “forever chemicals” that have been linked to health problems like liver damage, fertility issues and cancer.
PFAS were first discovered in Well 15, which serves between 10,000 and 15,000 residents on Madison’s east side, in 2017. In a 2018 study, the firefighting foams used at the nearby Truax Field were identified as a possible source of the contamination. Despite the city’s insistence that the PFAS levels weren’t dangerous, the well was shut down in 2019 in response to community concerns. Since then, those residents have received water from one or more of Madison’s 20 other active wells. But, in early September, a new, $5.9 million water treatment system is expected to go online, which will make Well 15’s water safe to drink again.
The changes to Well 15 — a stark, brick-and-concrete structure built in 1965 — aren’t noticeable from the outside. But when Joe Grande, a City of Madison water utility manager, visited the well as the new treatment system was being installed this spring, he says he felt like “a kid in a candy shop.”…