Stella to receive bottled water from Ahlstrom, but has other ideas

Rhinelander paper mill owner Ahlstrom, named along with former mill owner Wausau Paper Company by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as the responsible parties for PFAS contamination in dozens of wells in the town of Stella, has announced a program to supply bottled water to residents within a three-mile radius of the Stella Town Hall.

Some 300 eligible residents have been sent the program details by mail. 

Administered by Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Ahlstrom’s program features five-gallon jugs of bottled water being delivered monthly to eligible residents by Culligan Water, free of charge, with no well-testing required. 

The DNR, which since at least January 2023 has been providing bottled water to Stella property owners affected by the PFAS contamination, also uses Culligan Water. People already receiving the DNR water can choose to transfer to the Ahlstrom bottled water program,and Culligan will continue to deliver the water without interruption, according to Ahlstrom’s fact sheet on their program.

Ahlstrom’s bottled water program is planned to operate for at least one year. Prior to its one-year anniversary in January 2027, Ahlstrom will evaluate it to “determine next steps.”

Their bottled water program reinforces the company’s “commitment to the region as a dependable partner,” said Tricia Schwartz, Ahlstrom’s communications manager for North America, in a statement last week. “As a longtime employer in our local communities, we understand that concerns about drinking water have been raised by residents of the region and are working to be part of the solution.”

Stella town chair William Casey Crump would prefer a different course of action.

“Now that they’ve been told that they’re responsible, or been indicated that they’re responsible, I’m glad they’re doing something – but that horse has already left the barn,” he said. “We’ve got water in place for the individuals out here that need it that have tested positive (for high PFAS levels). 

“I think that a better option would be if they were to provide funding to complete the rest of the testing that needs to be done … Better use of the funds would be to find out if these individual homes that they’re wanting to serve actually have PFAS in their wells, because at that point they know not to use the well and they know that they can provide the bottled water and the individuals can consume that.”

He added, “That way, they can take credit for something that is real: ‘We tested these wells, these people have clean wells, they’re able to continue on with their life the way they have for the last however many years out here. Those that aren’t, we’re working with them and working with the DNR to find solutions.’”

Crump hopes to set up a meeting between Ahlstrom and the town’s PFAS committee. 

“I think that would be a more manageable meeting than have it at a public meeting or something,” he  said. “Meet with our committee and myself and talk about what their attempts are, potentially, what kind of funds they have, how better to use those funds, at least from the community's standpoint, and then talk about strategies to get that stuff done.”

Crump has made the request to Ahlstrom for a meeting, but at press time had not yet heard back. “She (Schwartz) had to send it up the chain of command and stuff to see what they wanted to do ... so we’re just waiting,” he said.

Asked by the Northwoods River News if there are plans for any additional types of assistance from Ahlstrom for residents within the three-mile radius of the Stella Town Hall, such as funding for well testing or filtration systems, Schwartz responded, “No. For more information about well sampling or well replacement, please contact the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.”

Ardith Carlton may be reached at [email protected].