Cedar Rapids eyes new well project to bolster water infrastructure

CEDAR RAPIDS — As settlement funds from a class-action lawsuit trickle in, the city of Cedar Rapids is eyeing a significant water infrastructure project.

The city was one of thousands to join a national class action lawsuit against four major manufacturers for contamination of public drinking water via the distribution of PFAS-laden products.

PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are widely used industrial chemicals that break down very slowly. Often called “forever chemicals,” they have been linked to various negative health effects.

One of the four manufacturers named in the suit — Minnesota-based 3M — has agreed to a $10.3 billion settlement to resolve the suit’s claims, and the other three companies are working on settlements of their own.

City of Cedar Rapids Utilities Director Roy Hesemann said the city’s portion of the 3M settlement is expected to be around $5.9 million based upon the levels of PFAS contamination found in certain city wells.

Work continues with the manufacturers BASF, DuPont and TyCo Fire Products to finalize additional settlements, although early estimates point to smaller payouts from those entities.

“In the U.S., 3M has really been one of the biggest players when it comes to generating PFAS and using PFAS-laden components,” Hesemann explained. The remaining settlements “are still under review, … but I’m thinking they’ll come out much lower.”

PFAS contamination was detected in a few city wells at relatively low levels that were not significant enough once combined with other water sources to have detectable levels in the city’s drinking water.

Still, the well detections were enough to qualify for class action status.

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City considers well project for settlement funds

In a recent editorial board meeting with The Gazette, Hesemann said the city intends to use its portion of settlement funds to pursue the design and potential construction of an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) well to hold drinking water in deep storage.

The water is treated and stored during times of low demand so the reserves can be added back into the water supply to supplement plant production during peak pumping periods and/or dilute potential contaminants by blending treated, stored water with the incoming supply.

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“You take your regular water, treat it and then pump it down into the well as a kind of storage tank, basically,” Hesemann explained. “Then during times of high nitrates, peak loading or whatever the case might be, you pump the water back out and it’s treated and ready to go.”

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ASR wells are most common in the southeast, southwest and western states, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The practice is not new in Iowa, however, and similar wells can be found in North Liberty and Ankeny.

Hesemann said city staff are currently in the feasibility phase of the project and are working to identify the viability, challenges and/or benefits associated with ASR construction in Cedar Rapids.

He estimated that the design process will take about a year and that, if the project were to move forward, construction would take another year after the project was bid.

Prior to any final decision, however, the matter will come before the Cedar Rapids City Council for review and public comment.

Very early estimates put such a project at roughly $12 million. The work would therefore not be covered entirely by the settlement funds, although those allocations would bring the cost down significantly.

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com