Stillwater officials have disclosed that they shut down one of the city’s wells more than a year ago after tests from the Minnesota Department of Health showed the water from the well had levels of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances above health-based guidance values for drinking water.

At a Stillwater City Council workshop on Wednesday afternoon, city officials will discuss a PFAS communications plan from consulting firm TKDA. The well — Well No. 6 — is one of eight city wells and is located in the southeastern part of the city, said Public Works Director Shawn Sanders.

“Once we got the first reading from the Department of Health, even though they were going to do more testing, we shut the well off,” Sanders said. “It’s a well that the city uses primarily in the summertime when we have high usage, so we were able to get by without it.”

City officials will continue to work with health department officials as additional testing is undertaken, Sanders said.

“The city is considering a study to evaluate strategies to replace well No. 6 or treat water produced by well No. 6,” a memo from TKDA states. “The city will be seeking financial assistance for the planning study as well as future capital projects.”

PFAS contamination was first measured in the east metro in the early 2000s. Maplewood-based 3M Co. began making PFAS at a facility in Cottage Grove in the 1940s and historically disposed of PFAS wastes in four east metro locations, the source of identified PFAS impacts in Washington County groundwater.

PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” do not break down in the environment and can build up and stay in the human body for many years. Immediate risks are believed to be low, but long-term exposure to the chemicals can result in immune suppression, changes in liver function and lower birth weight, according to experts.

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