This article was updated at 12:30 p.m. on 1/28/26 to include additional information from the Wisconsin DNR.
Ahlstrom recently sent letters to roughly 300 households within a 3-mile radius of the Stella Town Hall.
It comes with an offer to provide 5-gallon water jugs through Culligan Water. No well testing is required.
Tricia Schwartz, communications manager, North America for Ahlstrom, provided this statement to WXPR regarding the program:
“Ahlstrom is announcing the launch of a bottled water program for eligible residents in the Town of Stella and surrounding communities, reinforcing our commitment to the region as a dependable partner. As a longtime employer in our local communities, we understand that concerns about drinking water have been raised by residents of the region, and we are working to be part of the solution.”
Ahlstrom and former Rhinelander paper mill owners were named responsible parties by the DNR for the PFAS contamination in Stella after high levels of the manmade chemicals were found in the soil where the mill had spread sludge.
A little over half of the 241 private wells tested in the Stella area of Oneida County have come back with detectable PFAS levels. About a third are at levels considered unsafe for drinking and cooking with.
People that got water advisory letters from Wisconsin Department of Health Services already have access to bottled water through the Wisconsin DNR’s emergency temporary water program.
Stella Town Chair Casey Crump believes the money Ahlstrom is paying for bottled water could be better spent on other things, like additional PFAS testing or paying for water filtration systems that are costly for homeowners to maintain.
“I think that it's good that they're doing something at this point, we just want to make sure that it's the right thing that they're doing out here, that's going to benefit the community the most,” said Crump.
Crump says he’s contacted Ahlstrom. He’s hoping they come out to a PFAS committee meeting to talk with them more about the issue.
“Hopefully they meet with our PFAS committee and fill us in, talk to us about what they really want to do,” said Crump. “Then hopefully, maybe strategize a little bit and say, ‘Okay, well, we really don't need that, if we can have the wells tested.’ It’s just a priority thing, I think, and a good use of funds on both sides.”
Ahlstrom says it plans to operate the bottled water program for at least a year. It plans to reevaluate in January 2027.
Eligible residents should receive a letter in the mail.
Langan Engineering and Environmental Services is serving as the program contact and administrator of the program. Eligibility information and instructions on how to sign up to receive bottled water is available via a QR code or by contacting Langan at 715-994-9894.
Ahlstrom says residents who are eligible to participate in this bottled water program and are receiving bottled water from the bottled water program sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources can elect to transfer to the Ahlstrom bottled water program, and Culligan Water will continue to provide bottled water uninterrupted and free of charge.
A Wisconsin DNR spokesperson told WXPR that it was notified of Ahlstrom's bottled water program.
"The DNR cannot speak to Ahlstrom’s program or offer. The DNR is not precluding any qualifying residence from accessing temporary alternative water. The requirements for DNR to provide water are that a private drinking water well must exceed Department of Health Services’ health advisory recommendations for PFAS and the DNR has sufficient funding," the spokesperson said to WXPR in an email.
As of January 23, 63 households in the Stella area are receiving bottled water through the DNR. The DNR has spent $120,100 on temporary bottled water in the Stella area as of that date.
The DNR says it is expecting site investigation work plans from the responsible parties to be submitted soon which will further address next steps.
