Dubuque advances $77.5m capital push for PFAS mitigation and lead line replacements

Dubuque advances $77.5m capital push for PFAS mitigation and lead line replacementsThe Iowa municipality is preparing a $60 million lead service line replacement program and $17.5 million in drinking water treatment upgrades to ensure long-term regulatory compliance.

A $60 million program will replace approximately 3,900 privately owned lead service lines by 2037 using State Revolving Fund loans.

The city will invest $11 million to rehabilitate 17 gravity filters with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) for PFAS removal.

A new deep well is being advanced for $6.5 million to secure a PFAS-free water source.

The Water Resource Recovery Center is planning $93 million in sewer upgrades over five years, supported by a proposed 9% rate increase.

A 3% water rate increase was proposed for FY 2027 to support ongoing infrastructure maintenance and system upgrades.

The City of Dubuque, Iowa, is preparing for a massive wave of capital expenditures driven by federal regulatory mandates, according to presentations at the city's fiscal year 2027 budget meeting on April 7, 2026. Water Department Director Chris Lester outlined nearly $77.5 million in upcoming drinking water investments aimed at eliminating lead service lines and mitigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). To meet the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule improvements, Dubuque must replace approximately 3,900 privately owned lead service lines by November 1, 2037. Lester estimated the total project cost at $60 million, which covers planning, design, construction, and program administration. The city plans to utilize low-interest State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans, with repayment supported through property owner assessments. The program will begin voluntarily, targeting around 67 lines annually, before transitioning to a mandatory structure that will require replacing over 600 lines per year to meet the federal deadline. The aggressive timeline drew concern from the city council. The mayor called the mandate to replace over 600 lines in a single year "not realistic whatsoever," noting that the city cannot physically "rip up the entire city" at that pace, and indicated plans to lobby federal partners for a more feasible regulatory approach. Simultaneously, the city is advancing $17.5 million in PFAS-related infrastructure. The water department will spend an estimated $11 million to rehabilitate 17 gravity filters—originally built between the 1950s and 1970s—by replacing existing media with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) and torpedo sand. The GAC will serve a dual purpose of filtering solids and removing PFAS. Additionally, Dubuque is investing $6.5 million to advance a new deep well. Lester noted that deep well sampling has not shown any PFAS detections, indicating a promising long-term water source. Other drinking water investments include a $1.345 million contract awarded to Westfall and Company to replace the city's outdated SCADA system, integrating fiber optic connections at 17 remote sites. To support these initiatives, the water department proposed a 3% rate increase for FY 2027. On the wastewater side, Water Resource Recovery Center (WRRC) Director Darren Meering detailed a 9% sanitary sewer rate increase to help fund $93 million in sewer treatment upgrades over the next five years. A major focus of the WRRC budget is infrastructure reliability and odor control. The city invested over $10 million in FY 2026 and plans another $3 million in FY 2027 to minimize odor events. Meering highlighted that chemical dosing using ferric chloride in the facility's digesters has successfully reduced hydrogen sulfide by almost 90% while also mitigating struvite buildup, a mineral that can clog pipes and damage equipment. The FY 2027 budget includes $462,000 to continue these dosing efforts. The WRRC is also advancing a hauled waste project, funded in part by a $2 million federal community project grant, to create dedicated infrastructure for receiving high-strength waste such as fats, oils, and grease (FOG) and septage. The federal funding allowed the city to reduce planned tipping fee increases for waste haulers.