Council told of expanded PFAS testing, proposed GAC filtration for three wells and a $3 million project with a shortfall

Operations staff informed the Marin City Council on April 22 that the town’s wastewater discharge permit had been updated to add roughly 15–20 additional testing requirements, including PFAS monitoring of sludge and effluent. Kevin (operations staff) said the town’s sludge has been tested and that existing biosolids land-application limits are now tiered; reaching the most restrictive tier would require disposal to landfill, which would be significantly more expensive.

Why it matters: PFAS limits affect both wastewater handling and drinking-water sources; staff and council discussed both the presence of PFAS in runoff and isolated detections in wells. Staff reported the town has grant applications in progress to add granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration at wells 11, 12 and 14 to reduce PFAS and protect source water.

Funding and scope: Staff said they had applied for principal-forgiveness grants that would cover a portion of design-and-construction; the CIP lists the filtration project as roughly $3,000,000 in total. Staff cautioned the grants will not fully cover the cost and estimated an uncovered funding gap on the order of "three quarters of $1,000,000" (discussed in session as about $700,000–$750,000). The proposed filtration would use GAC contactors and require building space and periodic media replacement.

Next steps and caveats: Staff said two grants were not yet awarded and that award conditions and interest costs for an interest-only loan would affect rate impacts. Council asked staff to confirm grant terms, contractual obligations and whether any principal-forgiveness commitments were effectively locked in; staff said they would follow up with MDE and clarify award language.

Council action: No funding decision was taken; staff will provide more detailed cost and financing scenarios as the town builds its FY27 CIP and rate options.