Abilene Asks the State for $1.4 Million to Trace 'Forever Chemicals' Through Its Wastewater Plant

Abilene already knows it has a "forever chemical" problem in its drinking water. On Thursday, the City Council will decide whether to study the same chemicals at the other end of the pipe, in the city's wastewater.

What is on Thursday's agenda

The council meets at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in the council chambers at City Hall, 555 Walnut St. Two related items are on the agenda:

• Item 16: a $1,405,600 lump-sum contract with the engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer for a PFAS study at the Hamby Water Reclamation Facility.

• Item 17: authorization to apply to the Texas Water Development Board for $1,405,600 to pay for it.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals used in products like nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabric and firefighting foam. They break down very slowly, which is why they are called forever chemicals.

What the study would do

A staff memo from Water Utilities Director Matthew Dane in the agenda packet says the city has limited facility-specific data on PFAS in the plant's incoming wastewater, its treated effluent and its biosolids. Hazen would review existing data, write a sampling plan, collect and test samples, estimate how much PFAS moves through the plant, look for likely sources, and deliver an engineering feasibility report covering treatment options and preliminary costs. The firm expects the work to take about 24 months.

Staff stress that this is a wastewater study and "is not related to drinking water."

Who pays

The money would come from the state's Clean Water State Revolving Fund Emerging Contaminants Program. The memo says that program offers 100% principal forgiveness for eligible expenses, so it would work like a grant. The state invited Abilene to apply. The Hazen contract would not be signed and work would not start unless the state approves the funding.

The drinking water side

The city's PFAS information page says testing found PFAS in Abilene's drinking water above the federal limits the EPA set in 2024. The page adds that the EPA "has not advised residents to stop drinking or using their tap water." On July 9, 2026, the council approved a $442,100 contract with HDR Engineering for the first phase of a drinking water compliance program. That phase is a study, not construction. It is paid for from an $8.7 million PFAS settlement the city received in June 2026, and no water rate or general fund money is being used.

The federal deadline to comply is April 2029. In May 2026, the EPA proposed extending it to April 2031 for systems that qualify, but that proposal is not final.

A city staffer put it plainly at an earlier meeting, as quoted on the city's page: "We've got to stop the source, or we're just going to be treating it forever." A wastewater study paid for by forgiven state loans is a sensible way to look for that source without touching ratepayers.

Also Thursday

The council will also consider an engineering contract for phase 2 of Interstate 20 utility relocations and first readings on several rezonings. One would change about 77.3 acres from single-family to patio home zoning.

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