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Weekly Blast: The Board held its monthly meeting on Wednesday. We’re trying a different agenda format to improve efficiency and shorten meeting times. A “consent agenda” allows usual items like minutes, committee and officer reports, financial reports, and invoices to be reviewed in advance of the meeting. When the meeting begins a board member can request that any item from the list be moved to the “regular” agenda for discussion and consideration. In this way any item where concerns or questions exist are scrutinized. Anything that remains on the consent agenda is approved by unanimous consent in its entirety. On Wednesday it seemed to work well, however it’s new so we’ll see how it goes. One item of interest (not on the consent agenda) was a Resolution regarding the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Plan prepared by the Wisconsin Rapids School District. The District includes Grant Elementary School right here in the Town of Grant. Recall some months ago we had an informational meeting for residents in the Mertz Subdivision just south of Grant Elementary. The residents did not want sidewalks for bike or pedestrians installed whenever the roads are reconstructed. Originally the Town included this option in two grants submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). Neither were funded, nor were two recent ones WITHOUT sidewalks included. In short, the SRTS Plan and the Resolution signed do not include any sidewalks within the Subdivision; only a short, cemented area at the corner of 85th/CTH WW at the request of the Portage County Highway Department. This, in hopes of a future enhanced crosswalk across the highway. This Resolution may be submitted with any future funding requests to reconstruct the roads within the Subdivision. However, if you have a million dollars sitting around, we’d be happy to start construction ASAP - ha! Have a safe weekend and be careful in the expected heatwave, Sharon

Posted on by clerk

Comment Period For Proposed PFAS NR 140 Groundwater Standards

Comment Period For Proposed PFAS NR 140 Groundwater Standards

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) developed a draft rule package to revise ch. NR 140, Wis. Adm. Code and is accepting public comments through July 29, 2026. The proposed rule will add health-based groundwater quality standards for six PFAS, using the Department of Health Services (DHS)’s January 2025 recommendations.

The six PFAS include the following compounds: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX Chemicals). Setting groundwater quality standards will allow for consistent use in state regulatory programs to minimize the concentration of these polluting substances in the groundwater resources of the state. 

The objective of the proposed rule is to protect public health, given that groundwater is the primary source of drinking water throughout the state. PFAS break down very slowly and can accumulate in people. PFAS may cause reproductive health effects such as decreased fertility and pregnancy-induced hypertension; developmental effects or delays in children including birth defects and low birth weight; increased risk of some cancers including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers; decreased antibody response to vaccines and increased cholesterol.

A draft of the proposed rule language is available for download under DG-02-25 on the DNR’s Proposed Permanent Administrative Rules webpage.

The DNR is accepting comments on the draft revisions to ch. NR 140 from June 29, 2026, to July 29, 2026. Comments may be submitted electronically to DNR140GroundwaterQualityStandards@wisconsin.gov or mailed to:

Department of Natural Resources
Attn: Carla Romano
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921

A virtual public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2026. To join via Zoom, please register or pre-register using the Zoom link below. If you plan to attend via phone instead of Zoom, please download and complete the fillable Hearing Appearance form and send it to Carla.Romano1@wisconsin.gov.

Join online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 845 8832 2038
Call-in number: 301-715-8592