Earlier this week, the Town of Campbell received nearly $40 million dollars in federal aid to help with its PFAS issue.

Residents of the town have had to use bottled water for more than five years due to PFAS contamination in its wells.

The money from the USDA's Rural Development fund allows the town to finally build out its water supply system it began 20 years ago, explains Campbell Town Supervisor Lee Donahue.

She said they put in water mains for a water utility around the town but stopped. Donahue said that the utility is now the best solution to the PFAS issue to getting water to individual homes.

There are several aspects of the utility, she said. 

"So what this money will do is it will help pay for the second municipal well. We'll need two. We've already drilled one. And it will also help pay for the pump house treatment building. Not treating for PFAS but treating for iron and manganese and so forth," Donahue said. 

The money also is for a storage tank that Donahue said would be on the western side of French Island. It is designed to hold approximately 880,000 gallons of water. 

"It will provide a lot of pressure for residents. So when you turn on your faucet, you'll get more than a drip. You'll get a traditional, you know, good amount of water that will come out of your tap."

In addition to the usual approvals, the town had to receive special clearance from the FAA due to the nearby airport. 

The final part involves piping to distribute the water to individual homes throughout Campbell.

Work on the water utility is set to begin this year with completion in 2027 according to Donahue.