As the base for years hosted nuclear-armed B-52 bombers, personnel trained for rapid response to an aircraft fire. PFAS in Kent County: How far it likely traveled - WOODTV.com "As aresponsible steward of our community, we have a record of sharing information we learn with government regulators, the scientific community,as well as local and federal officials.". Multiple states have raised concerns about PFAS contamination from solar farms, largely citing academic research on how PFAS could potentially be used in photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.1 The fact is that PFAS is not customarily used in solar panels because safer, effective alternatives have already been developed and commercialized. California and New Jersey both havegroundwater advisory levelsset at 13parts per trillion for PFOS and 14parts per trillion for PFOA, and New Jersey is considering making its an enforceable limit, one by which regulatorscan direct a polluter to clean up until the pollution no longer exceeds the standard. Optional but helpful: wind speed, wind direction, air temperature. Site investigations get started for a variety of reasons. EGLE has also used drones to find groundwater seeps to help understand where the PFAS contaminated foam may be coming from. 3M said its participation in the settlement is not an admission of liability and said if it was rejected in court, 3M is prepared to continue to defend itself.. Concerns remain a year after Parchment learned of toxic PFAS in - mlive Take care of the problem.' Michigan benefits from multi-agency response to PFAS contamination | ASCE Is it light and fluffy like shaving cream or watered down with organic matter? Click on the dots for a brief summary of each site. As a result, it was 2018 before anybody got around to looking in Parchment, Michigan, for these chemicals. ", Contact Keith Matheny: 313-222-5021 or kmatheny@freepress.com. "Our bodies are incredibly fine-tuned instruments," he said. Michigan bases its fish advisories on PFOS because it is far and away the most prevalent form of . An occasional swallow of river or lake water is also not considered a health concern. Under their chemical regulations, prior registration is compulsory whena company intends to manufacture or import a tonor more per year of a particular substance. "There's an ever-increasing body of science on how widespread these PFAS contaminants are,of how big of an impact they are having on human health. Information collected through this form will be used tounderstand foam occurrence, help EGLE look for potential sources of contamination in the area, and help EGLE plan annual lake and stream monitoring. The ramifications from PFAS's widespread use, its persistence and its harmcontinue to reverberate in Michigan and elsewhere: It's not just Michigan's problem. Investigations and Sites - SOM - State of Michigan ". But the Air Force'slimited efforts to contain the contamination weren't stopping it from emanating off the base and into the nearby community's groundwater, rivers and lakes. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. More:Judge approves $54M PFAS settlement between 3M, north Kent County residents. MPART is charged with providing recommendations to the department directors and coordinates efforts between them. The DEQ's Delaney started sounding the alarmover PFAS contamination long before the state took the actions it's taking now. One MI Serving for adults is 6-8 ounces of fish (about the size of an adults hand). *** Wolverine officials, in response to requests for an interview, referred the Free Press to a company statement: "From the start, weve taken proactive, aggressive actions to ensure all affected residents have access to safe drinking water. The Department of Defense, by 2017, had ordered all of its installations nationwide to test for the presence of PFAS compounds. It's the only city in the DEQ's review of more than 1,380 public water systemswith PFAS levels above the EPA 70 parts per trillion benchmark, testing as high as 1,500 parts per trillion for combined PFOS and PFOA last July. If you do come in contact with foam, MDHHS recommends that you rinse off or bathe as soon as possible. Call our Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278 for assistance with reading or interpreting this map. EGLE adds complaints to a database. "I will never know, and that is part of what keeps you up," she said. "All in the name of profit, they continued to suppress and actively make sure that no one found out how dangerous these chemicals were, and what impacts they had on animals," Coulson said. PFAS in Michigan: What to know about contaminant, exposure risk, drinking water concerns. The doomed plants are casualties of PFAS contamination in this town of roughly 1,800. The 46 sites at which groundwater contamination exceeds the EPA's 70 parts-per-trillion health advisory limit for PFOS and PFOA cover much of Michigan: The State of Michigan, in addition to testing public water systems, surface waters and fish for PFAS exposure statewide, is also beginning to assess just how exposed its citizens have become in the west Michigan hot spots. Testing fish for PFAS contamination. In April 2002, Georgia-Pacific entered a consent order with the DEQ, setting forth Georgia-Pacifics responsibilities in closing the mills landfill. An overview of 'The Forever Chemical'. There are some ways you can distinguish PFAS foam from naturally occurring foam. "You get angry;very angry," Jill Osbeck said. At Michigan's first PFAS site, a tourist town wrestles a 'forever Five public water supply locations previously listed as sites were moved to aDrinking Waterpage. With the exception of a stint in the military, David Dykehouse has lived his entire life in Parchment, on the same street, Parchmount Avenue. Safer States :: PFAS Sampling was completed one year later, and "do not eat the fish" advisories were issued on the Flint River and Rogue River in Rockford by 2014. Statewide PFAS Survey of Public Water Supplies, Compliance Monitoring in Public Water Supplies, A fresh brown trout in the palm of an angler, Eat Safe Fish from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Go to Statewide PFAS Survey of Public Water Supplies, Go to Compliance Monitoring in Public Water Supplies, All Species Except Bluegill, Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass (see Eat Safe Fish Northeast Regional Guide for more information), Au Sable River (downstream of the Foote Dam; includes Van Etten Creek), Migratory Species (brown trout, chinook salmon, coho salmon, rainbow trout, steelhead, and walleye), Flint River (upstream of Mott Dam, including the Mott and Holloway Reservoirs and North and South Branches of the Flint River), Clinton River (upstream of Yates Dam, including Stony Creek up to the Winkler Pond Dam), River Raisin (upstream of Dundee Dam, including Dundee Pond), Rouge River, Lower Branch and Main Branch (downstream of Ford Estate Dam in Dearborn), Livingston, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne. For environmental emergencies such as spills or releases of PFAS or AFFF containing PFAS call EGLEs Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) at 800-292-4706. The EPA responded to Free Press requests for an interview with an emailed statement, touting the PFAS Action Plan the agency released in February. This was an important and life-saving tool that helped combat dangerous fires, like those caused by jet fuel, the company said. The company began using another PFAS chemical from 3M as a smoothing agent, known as perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. It hassince tested as high as 17,600 parts per trillion. I think they said something like they are not taking responsibility for it, but they are trying to be good neighbors.". The EPA in November announced that toxicology studies showhumanlivers aresensitive to GenX chemicals, and the kidney and thyroid are sensitive to PFBS. Despite the statewide warning flags Delaney had been waving in Oscoda since2010,it was an odd coincidence that thrust Belmont and the northern Kent County PFAS problem into the spotlight about seven years later. Township residents need to call attention to the Air Force's inaction, he said. He has elevated cholesterol levels; his wife has a thyroid condition that "is off the charts in comparison to a normal thyroid issue," he said. Call EGLE's Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278 from 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday or send them an email at EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov. The New York Times on March 14wrotethat the Pentagon, in a report to Congress last year, expressed support for a PFAS cleanup level at its military facilities of380 parts per trillion, or more than fivetimes the EPA healthadvisory level for drinking water. Blue dots and the hexagons around them show where and how many public drinking water sources have been sampled. PFOS and PFOA werelargely phased out of U.S. production by 2015, under EPA pressure. A number of states, airports, firefighter training facilities and private well owners also have sued. "Industry understood that these chemicals were toxic maybe 40 years ago. Wynn-Stelt moved to her House Street home in Belmont with her husband, Joel, in 1992, attracted to the surrounding forestsand Christmas tree farm on the other side of the street, providing their front-window view. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) often receives complaints about foam on a river or lake. Is an area being investigated due to the potential for PFAS contamination to be affecting residential wells for which a source has not been determined. "Corporations, not just on PFAS but other chemicals as well,would like to see no changes ever in the regulatory requirements," Andrews said. Robert Tasior isvice chairman of the township planning commission and a member of the Wurtsmith Restoration Advisory Board, or RAB, a body that meets quarterly, giving community members a chance to meet with the Air Force, the DEQ, the health department and others on where the cleanup stands. The MCLs apply to approximately 2,700 public drinking water supplies in Michigan. And every bit that the community is tied to a contamination problem potentially harms that economic driver. You canuse the search box to find keywords, city or county names, or even zip codes. All rights reserved. Described as forever chemicals because they dont degrade naturally in the environment, PFAS have been linked to a variety of health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers. In West Michigan, PFAS contamination leaves fruits and veggies to Sawyer Air Force Base. The Defense Department has identified401military facilities nationwide where PFAS compounds were used, and the drinking water or groundwater of at least 90of those sites iscontaminated with PFAS. 'They brought the poison.' Air Force refuses to own PFAS - mlive By October, Gruber had Delaney on his show. Call EGLE's Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278 from 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday or send them an email at EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov. Determine the best way to sample foam. EGLE staff use all 7 PFAS criteria to guide groundwater investigations, protect public health, and identify MPART PFAS sites. Intersection of King Highway and Michigan Ave. Near the intersection of Lake Street and Olmstead Road, 800 Block of Cottage Grove Street, SE and 1500 Block of Marshall Avenue, SE, Residential neighborhood drinking water wells, Muskegon (Egelston Township and Muskegon Charter Township), Franklin Road between Evelyn Court and Vincennes Avenue/Ravine Dr, 48074, 48027, 48060, 48059, 48049, 48006, 48032 48450, 48422, 48097, 1391 Kalamazoo Street (formerly 1415 Kalamazoo Street), 2935 Wright Street and 261 McDougall Street, EGLEs statewide PFAS survey, which tested supplies between 2018 and 2020, prior to Michigans PFAS maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), and, PFAS MCL compliance monitoring results under Michigans Safe Drinking Water Act. Wynn-Stelt now looks out her window at the Christmas tree farm across House Street and feels far different emotions today. The cost of cleansing PFAS from U.S. water systems eventually could go much higher than the sums agreed to in the settlements, Summy acknowledged. Generally, PFAS foam: As a precaution, MDHHS in partnership with local health departments issues PFAS foam recommendations and/or advisories on lakes and streams impacted by PFAS contamination. The settlement will be paid over 13 years and could reach as high as $12.5 billion, depending on how many public water systems detect PFAS during testing that EPA has required in the next three years, said Dallas-based attorney Scott Summy, one of the lead attorneys for those suing 3M and other manufacturers. The foams were contaminated with several PFAS compounds, but most notably with PFOS. PFAS Action Response Team. It needs to be portrayed that this is a statewide issue, and the state government, the past eight years, (hasn't wanted) to send that message out.". MPART is charged with providing recommendations to the department directors and coordinates efforts between them. In a November report, the Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality say PFAS contamination at former Wolverine Worldwide sites appear to typically travel in . "I became convinced by the end of the year that these things were really, really dangerous. Call EGLE's Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278 from 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday or send them an email at EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov. Thirty-five houses along House Street tested high for PFAS compounds that summer, including Wynn-Stelt's 76,000 parts per trillion reading. The agency later that year sampled fish in watersaround the Wurtsmith base. The agreement would settle a case that was scheduled for trial earlier this month involving a claim by Stuart, Florida, one of about 300 communities that have filed similar suits against companies that produced firefighting foam or the PFAS it contained. Or, instead of filling out the form, you may callthe 24-hour Pollution Emergency Alert (PEAS) hotline at 800-292-4706 to report the foam. Source: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality As of March 2021, a PFAS site is defined as a property where EGLE has a valid groundwater monitoring well sample result that exceeds one or more of Michigan's seven PFAS groundwater cleanup criteria, and based on data, EGLE has determined the property is the location of the source of PFAS contamination (e.g., fire training area where PFAS-containing foam was used). As new guidelines are set as a result of elevated levels of PFOS, Michigan is releasing those advisories outside of the annual Eat Safe Fish Guides update. I've got to go and tell them that they're not done.". Turbulence and wave action at the beach pushes air into thewater with organic compounds, which forms the bubbles in foam. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
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