Title
Resolution to Approve a Grant Agreement with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy for the PFAS Removal Project ($1,317,264.00) and to Appropriate Grant Proceeds to the Existing Backwash Infrastructure Improvements Project ($457,880.00) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
The following resolution requests approval to accept the grant award from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) for the PFAS Removal Project in the amount of $1,317,264.00 and to appropriate Water Supply System Fund Balance, $457,880.00, to the Backwash Infrastructure Improvements Project. The grant agreement period is January 1, 2019 until December 1, 2020.
Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and bioaccumulative, and there is mounting evidence for the human toxicity of many of these compounds. The City of Ann Arbor relies on both groundwater and surface water, from the Huron River, for its drinking water source. In 2014, PFAS was first detected during US EPA's UCMR3 sampling effort and in 2016 it was determined that the Huron River was the source of PFAS. Since that time Ann Arbor actively monitors for PFAS and has been investigating alternative treatments for PFAS removal.
Ann Arbor has used granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration since 1989. GAC is the preferred treatment technology for PFAS removal in large-scale drinking water treatment plants. This grant will reimburse the city for expenses incurred during the grant period for replacement of GAC in the city's filters, modification of the city's filter wash system to accommodate the new type of GAC in the city's filters, PFAS monitoring to better enable the City to meet PFAS removal targets, as well as communication to improve customer outreach and messaging strategies.
Ann Arbor owns and operates six pilot filters that it uses to test new filter operational scenarios prior to full scale implementation. The City received a grant through The Water Res...
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