State fund helps Oak Park Heights plan for PFAS treatment

A state fund created to help cities that are losing a power plant is helping Oak Park Heights pay for design work on a foreseen future water therapy facility to remove PFAS from the city s two wells In Oak Park Heights will lose its largest taxpayer when Xcel Ability shutters the Allen S King power plant The plant which employs people provides percent of the city s tax base or about million in commented Jacob Rife city administrator At the same time the city demands million to design a prospective new water medicine facility that would be located somewhere near Oak Park Heights City Hall City leaders learned last year that both of the city s drinking water wells tested above state guidelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances The current numbers however remain within federal guidelines and no action is required as of yet Rife mentioned However we are taking a very proactive approach in that our numbers could change or the state could make their numbers enforceable so we want to be ready to go he reported The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Evolution this week awarded Oak Park Heights a second Region Resource Transition grant this one for to help pay for plans for the facility Last year the city received a Area Vitality Transition grant for a feasibility examination and pre-design work for the new therapy facility This year s grant will be used to evaluate content from the earlier studies and determine the process equipment remedy plant building design and project cost estimates according to DEED The agency s Resource Transition Office supports cities undergoing or preparing for power-plant closures in their efforts to maintain vitality and diversify their economies declared DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek Communities can face important uncertainty when a power plant closes Through these grants we re partnering with local leaders to help ease that transition The city is contracting with Stantec for preliminary design work to help answer questions such as where a expected new remedy facility would be sited size of the facility costs and construction schedules Rife commented The grant funds will get the city s design plans to approximately percent for water cure at Wells and and city leaders tentatively expect to get to percent design by summer of he declared Related Articles St Paul Park Police chief is fourth department head in city to resign since January Norwegian group will host Syttende Mai celebration in Stillwater Gammelg rden opens for season on May restoration of Pastor s House is planned MN Soundness Department updates fish consumption guidelines for PFAS Oakdale middle school lecturer charged with criminal sexual conduct with minor The city will use from its own water funds to pay for the design work but is still seeking grants and state bonding to cover the rest Rife mentioned The city also anticipates receiving funds from a national class-action settlement regarding PFAS in drinking water supplies Rife noted The chemical company DuPont last year agreed to pay billion to population water systems across the U S that detect PFAS chemicals in their drinking water supplies I m not sure of where that number will land Rife announced We have a few ballpark estimates right now but we just won t know until that comes in so we re trying to get the majority of the design work to be funded through grants and outside money so we re being very aggressive in pursuing grants Mayor Mary McComber reported the city has to be proactive If something happens to one of our wells and we need to shut it down well we only have two wells and that s it she noted We need more water supply