Gustavus PFAS Water Catchment Cistern Project

The Gustavus PFAS Water Catchment Cistern Project is intended to move affected Gustavus residents from bottled water service to conventional, reliable long-term water systems.

DOT&PF's Division of Facilities Services is responsible for project delivery, working in coordination with the State's Division of Risk Management to establish the agreements needed for construction and oversight.

Scope of Work

• Completion of 13 partially constructed rainwater catchment and cistern systems
• Construction of three new rainwater catchment and cistern systems
• Installation or correction of filtration, pumps, piping, electrical components, structural supports, liners, overflow systems, and other components needed for safe, functional residential water systems
• Property-specific modifications where existing construction does not meet engineer-approved plans or applicable health and safety standards

Current Status

Work is moving toward construction. Funding is in place to proceed, and DOT&PF is finalizing an agreement with the Division of Risk Management.

On Thursday, September 17, DOT&PF and a contractor will be in Gustavus to meet with property owners and inspect the cisterns. Affected property owners have been contacted ahead of the visit. Information gathered during the site visit will be used to prepare a proposal to complete the work under an existing State job order contract, which allows work to be authorized without a new procurement.

DOT&PF's goal is to complete the partially constructed cistern systems before winter.

Background

Existing systems have been inspected, and an engineer-approved design has been developed for the remaining work. The current project cost is estimated at approximately $1 million. The project was originally planned as a single construction package, but that procurement did not move forward while the State evaluated other contracting approaches.

Next Steps

• Complete the site visit with property owners
• Receive and review the contractor's proposal
• Issue the work order and establish a construction schedule
• Confirm property access and property-specific requirements

An updated schedule will be shared with the community, affected property owners, and legislators once work is authorized. Affected residents remain on temporary bottled-water service until permanent systems are complete.