"ROTHSCHILD, Wis. — After a year of production, the village of Rothschild has a new water treatment facility that is now fully operational. This facility is actively working to decrease the levels of PFAS in the community's drinking water.

Village Administrator Ryan VanDeWalle said that PFAS levels are now down to "non-detectable or non-traceable" levels.

"I think it's a pretty neat process that we have went through over the last couple of years, working through a PFAS settlement. And as you can see behind us now, we're here, so it is a pretty exciting time to allow for everybody to have that PFAS-free water, because there are certainly individuals that had some concerns," VanDeWalle said.

Residents began receiving water from the new facility in November of 2025. According to facility managers, the system utilizes a granular activated carbon filtration system to remove PFAS, similar to the system installed at Wausau’s drinking water treatment plant."

Dylan Eckhart reports for WAOW January 22, 2026. [2]