Wood River City Council Meeting
WOOD RIVER – Following the detection of PFAS in Wood River’s drinking water, city officials say steps are being taken to address current levels and develop a long-term solution.
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City Manager Steve Palen informed residents last week of an incoming notice following testing by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) which detected PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the city’s drinking water measured at 6.7 parts per trillion, higher than the state’s standard of four parts per trillion.
PFAS, sometimes called “forever chemicals,” have been used since the 1940s to make various products resistant to water, grease, and heat. Many types of PFAS break down very slowly, which can cause health concerns in people and animals as their widespread use and prominence in the environment causes them to build up over time, according to the U.S. EPA.
At the Aug. 17, 2026 Wood River City Council meeting, Palen said that while a total elimination of PFAS from the city’s drinking water would be “ideal,” it may not be realistically achievable. However, he said the city aims to at least achieve the state standard of four parts per trillion.
Councilman Bill Dettmers asked what actions are currently being taken to address the high PFAS levels. Public Works Director Michael Velloff said the city has been working with East Alton on a “pilot program” over the past year which should be completed in the near future.
“East Alton was already doing a pilot study on PFAS there at their water plant, so we reached out to them to try to obtain the equipment to do a pilot study for our treatment plant,” Velloff said. “We started that almost a year ago; our testing will be finished up by the end of next month.”
Velloff added the completed pilot study will better position the city to receive grant funds to address the issue. He described the pilot study as a necessary step in determining a “small scale version” of the city’s eventual large-scale solution to the PFAS problem.
Palen also said the city is actively receiving payments as part of a class-action lawsuit against PFAS manufacturing companies such as 3M and DuPont. He said each time the city gets new positive testing results for PFAS, those results are taken into account and usually increase the settlement amount.
A full recording of the Aug. 17, 2026 Wood River City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
