Photo: Pictured is City of Gadsden Water Board General Manager Chad Hare. (Submitted photo)
10-06-2022
The City of Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board announced earlier this week that litigation against the manufacturer and other users of PFAS has been resolved.
This is welcome news for customers of Gadsden Water and all of Etowah County as the mutually agreed upon settlement will result in the construction of what will be the State of Alabama’s largest reverse osmosis (RO) treatment facility to provide our customers with PFAS-free drinking water.
Gadsden Water customers will not be asked to pay for the treatment required to remove a chemical that they did not place there. For the City of Gadsden, this settlement represents a bright and clean future for economic development and growth.
Gadsden Water is aggressively addressing construction of the treatment facility. The board has already voted to authorize its general manager to solicit proposals from qualified engineering consulting firms for the design, bid and construction administration of the new RO facility.
The water board wishes to thank its customers for their patience during this legal process. Gadsden Water continues to update its website at www.gadsdenwater.org when any new information is obtained regarding PFAS.
Incoming Mayor Craig Ford states this settlement is definitely a step in the right direction and congratulates Chad Hare (pictured above) and the Gadsden Water board for their hard work and dedication to this matter.
“Having the number one, state-of-the-art reverse osmosis treatment facility is a great asset for Gadsden,” Ford said. “It essentially means residents will be bathing and drinking what is sold as bottled water in supermarkets.”
Ford also pointed out that the facility will have one of, if not the largest, economic impacts on Gadsden.
Submitted by Chad Hare, City of Gadsden Water Board General Manager.