STUART, Fla. — Water is truly Mike Woodside's lifeblood.
For 29 years, his job is making sure the drinking water in Stuart is safe.
The water treatment superintendent for Stuart said in 2016, the city was told by the Florida Department of Revenue water exceeded safe limits for PFOS and PFOAS, or "forever chemicals," which are linked to several health issues including a higher cancer risk and weaker immune systems.
“Nobody knew what this stuff was," Woodside said.
The city acted quickly, replacing some contaminated wells and spending $600,000 for a system to remove the chemicals.
“We dodged a bullet," Woodside said.
That experience, combined with changing levels for PFOS and PFOAS from the government, led the city to look to the future.
"We need to get a new water supply to ensure there is no chance of any PFOA in it," Stuart City Manager Mike Mortell said.
After four years of planning and construction, a $20 million reverse osmosis plant is prepared to come online.
“The water that we’re drawing from has no PFAS in it," Woodside said.
Pulling water in from the deeper Floridan aquifer, the plant will fill the city’s water needs in perpetuity.
"Only the water molecule passes through the membrane. Everything else is rejected — the salts, any minerals," Woodside said as he explained the multi-step process of water treatment.
As to where the initial well contamination came from, it was traced to firefighting foam used by the city’s fire department.
The city then became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit joined by thousands of municipalities throughout the country.
Last summer, the city settled with chemical giant 3M over claims of water contamination in the city's groundwater.
“We resolved it in an amicable fashion and hopefully it will come to a final judgment this summer and be over with," said Mortell.
Unable to go into dollar specifics, Mortell said whatever the city recoups will be used for operational and cleanup expenses.
In the meantime, Woodside said residents should not worry about the water coming out of the tap.
“Beautiful looking, beautiful tasting and most importantly, safe," Mortell said.
