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Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 12F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph..
Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 12F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.
RESAMPLING RESULTS – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been sampling residential wells throughout the Oscoda area, and MDHHS Toxicologist Puneet Vij shared this slide at last week’s town hall meeting on the PFAS contamination in the community. The Round One resampling results from 2020 are seen at left, and the Round Two results from 2021 appear at right. For each image, the blue dots represent wells which were non-detect for PFAS; the white dots indicate detections, but those which are less than the MDHHS Comparison Values (CVs); and the orange dots reflect wells with detections above the CVs.
EXCEEDANCES – Amanda Armbruster of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, was among the presenters at a recent town hall meeting on local PFAS contamination. She shared the latest monitoring well (MW) results for sites in Oscoda and AuSable townships, and the map above highlights the MW locations near Smith Street and the mouth of the AuSable River. According to Armbruster, six of these wells which were sampled in October 2021 had results that exceeded the state’s drinking water cleanup criteria for PFAS.
INTERACTIVE ADDITION – The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) – which hosted a webinar on March 2 to give updates on the PFAS contamination in and around Oscoda Township – has a new, interactive system on their website. The map above shows the roughly 200 PFAS sites in the state of Michigan, and certain features also allow people to view and add to the map all of the surface water samples which have been collected, as well as the number of statewide drinking water supplies which have been sampled for PFAS. To access the map, go to michigan.gov/pfasresponse and click on the “MPART PFAS Information System” tab.
EXCEEDANCES – Amanda Armbruster of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, was among the presenters at a recent town hall meeting on local PFAS contamination. She shared the latest monitoring well (MW) results for sites in Oscoda and AuSable townships, and the map above highlights the MW locations near Smith Street and the mouth of the AuSable River. According to Armbruster, six of these wells which were sampled in October 2021 had results that exceeded the state’s drinking water cleanup criteria for PFAS.
RESAMPLING RESULTS – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been sampling residential wells throughout the Oscoda area, and MDHHS Toxicologist Puneet Vij shared this slide at last week’s town hall meeting on the PFAS contamination in the community. The Round One resampling results from 2020 are seen at left, and the Round Two results from 2021 appear at right. For each image, the blue dots represent wells which were non-detect for PFAS; the white dots indicate detections, but those which are less than the MDHHS Comparison Values (CVs); and the orange dots reflect wells with detections above the CVs.
EXCEEDANCES – Amanda Armbruster of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, was among the presenters at a recent town hall meeting on local PFAS contamination. She shared the latest monitoring well (MW) results for sites in Oscoda and AuSable townships, and the map above highlights the MW locations near Smith Street and the mouth of the AuSable River. According to Armbruster, six of these wells which were sampled in October 2021 had results that exceeded the state’s drinking water cleanup criteria for PFAS.
INTERACTIVE ADDITION – The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) – which hosted a webinar on March 2 to give updates on the PFAS contamination in and around Oscoda Township – has a new, interactive system on their website. The map above shows the roughly 200 PFAS sites in the state of Michigan, and certain features also allow people to view and add to the map all of the surface water samples which have been collected, as well as the number of statewide drinking water supplies which have been sampled for PFAS. To access the map, go to michigan.gov/pfasresponse and click on the “MPART PFAS Information System” tab.
EXCEEDANCES – Amanda Armbruster of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, was among the presenters at a recent town hall meeting on local PFAS contamination. She shared the latest monitoring well (MW) results for sites in Oscoda and AuSable townships, and the map above highlights the MW locations near Smith Street and the mouth of the AuSable River. According to Armbruster, six of these wells which were sampled in October 2021 had results that exceeded the state’s drinking water cleanup criteria for PFAS.
OSCODA – The former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB) isn’t the only location in Oscoda where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination has been found, and the latest available sampling results from some of the impacted sites in and around the township were shared at a March 2 webinar.
Hosted by the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) – which consists of several different state departments – updates were given by representatives of both the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
Amanda Armbruster, of EGLE’s Remediation and Redevelopment Division, discussed some of the local PFAS sites which EGLE has been investigating. She presented the most recent results from the groundwater (GW) monitoring wells (MWs) that the department installed across the area, many of which are sampled quarterly. The figures were from the wells tested in October 2021 and, while a GW sampling event was also conducted this January, she said that those results are still being compiled.
In the Colbath Road area, on the northwestern end of Van Etten Lake (VEL), two wells were sampled in October and one was above EGLE’s drinking water (DW) cleanup criteria. The exceedances involved two different PFAS compounds, PFOA and PFOS, the results of which were 12.8 parts per trillion (ppt) and 53.4 ppt, respectively. The state’s cleanup criteria for these are 8 ppt for PFOA and 16 ppt for PFOS.
According to Armbruster, the Colbath Road area contamination is believed to be associated with a historic fire that was put out with firefighting foam containing PFAS. She added that the township is working to expand municipal water service to this area.
Results from the one well sampled on the east side of Cedar Lake this past October were below EGLE’s DW cleanup criteria for PFAS, which Armbruster said was also the case when it was sampled in January, April and July 2021.
“This figure shows results for eight wells that were sampled around the southeastern end of [VEL], which we refer to sometimes as the Loud Drive area,” she continued. PFAS detections in four of these wells exceeded the criteria, all for PFOA, the highest concentration of which was 24.3 ppt. MW-32, which had the greatest PFOA detection, also had an exceedance of PFHxS, at 70 ppt.
Armbruster said that the source of PFAS here is currently unknown, and that expansion of municipal water service throughout this area is ongoing.
Four wells near the Oscoda Area Schools complex were also sampled, and three of them were above DW cleanup criteria. For the PFAS analyte PFBS, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) is 420 ppt, and one well tested in this area had a PFBS concentration of 1,090, while another had PFBS levels of 526 ppt. The former also had exceedances of PFOA and PFOS, while the third of the four wells above the criteria had a PFOS concentration of 36.2 ppt.
Armbruster said that this contamination is thought to be associated with a historic fire in a school storage building that was fought with PFAS-containing foam.
“The school is currently on municipal water; however, the neighborhood across the street to the north does not currently have municipal water,” she noted. The plan, though, is to expand municipal water service to this area also.
She then showed a slide of the MW location in AuSable Township, near the intersection of Mill Street and Sunset Road. While there had been an exceedance of the DW criteria in this location previously, none occurred in either the October or July 2021 sampling events.
Armbruster displayed a slide of the MW locations in AuSable Township which are near Smith Street and the mouth of the AuSable River, and have also been sampled on a quarterly basis. Along with a surface water (SW) sample, seven MWs were checked in October and six of the wells were above DW cleanup criteria.
Each of the exceedances entailed PFOA or PFOS, and some wells had high numbers of both. The greatest were PFOA at 24.7 ppt in MW-29, and PFOS at 47 ppt in MW-7.
Armbruster advised that the source of contamination in this area is unknown. And, although municipal water is available, EGLE did discover a few private wells which were being used. “And we sampled those wells and they were below criteria.”
She said that additional investigation is being planned for 2022, which EGLE hopes will help determine the contamination source in this area, and allow them to get a better handle on the extent of it to both the south and the west.
There are also plans to conduct additional investigation this year on the former McDonald Country Store property on F-41. Armbruster said there was a fire on this property that was fought with PFAS-containing foam, and the goal for 2022 is to collect additional GW and soil samples.
All of the figures she shared, as well as other investigation reports and data for the Oscoda area sites, is available on the MPART webpage at michigan.gov/pfasresponse.
Webinar participants were able to ask questions and share comments after each presentation, and one attendee asked if EGLE has made any assumptions as to the reasons for the lower PFAS values around Cedar Lake.
Armbruster answered that one of the assumptions they could make is that there may not be a significant source of PFAS in this area – which is why they aren’t seeing consistent results above the cleanup criteria. “We don’t have any knowledge of historic fires being fought with firefighting foam in this area,” she also pointed out.
Armbruster said that this is a pretty densely populated area with a lot of residences, as well, so it could just be the normal household use of various products that may contain PFAS, which resulted in the historic detections. “And we do still have some detections of PFAS in the well that we’ve been sampling, just not above criteria.”
MDHHS Toxicologist Puneet Vij also shared some sampling results, after giving the audience a recap of some of the adverse health effects in humans associated with higher PFAS exposure. These effects, which have been established in epidemiologic and lab animal model studies, include reduced fertility; increased chance of high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women; small decreases in infant birth weight; higher cholesterol; increased chance of thyroid disease and liver damage; decreased immune system response to vaccines; and increased chance of certain cancers, especially kidney and testicular.
As for the MDHHS Comparison Values (CVs) which relate to the sampling results, Vij explained that these are the lowest of the two – the MDHHS public health DW screening levels and the approved MCLs. The lower value is used by MDHHS to guide their public health recommendations.
In the Oscoda area, for example, the department has taken a precautionary public health response through the distribution of filters and, although the water may be fine to drink, this ensures the residents’ continued protection while the investigation continues.
“The MDHHS resampling effort is to understand PFAS fluctuations in drinking water wells,” Vij said. “And this, along with the source area characterization and extent of plume contamination, will help support our final public health determination.”
Round One was completed in 2020, and samples were collected from 277 residential wells. There were 136 non-detects (NDs), and 141 detections. “And out of these 141 detections, there were 20 detections that exceeded MDHHS comparison values,” Vij said.
The range of PFOA plus PFOS was 2.05 to 263.62 ppt, and the range of total PFAS from Round One was 2.01 to 2,514.02 ppt.
In Round Two, which was finished last summer, samples were gathered from 280 wells and there were 147 NDs and 133 detections. According to Vij, 19 of the 133 detections exceeded the MDHHS CVs.
The range of PFOA plus PFOS was between 2 to 66.9 ppt, while the range of total PFAS from Round Two was 2 to 140.8 ppt.
Vij said that for both resampling events, this wasn’t limited to only PFOS and PFOA, and that all the PFAS analytes for which there are MCLs were included.
He said that Round Three of the residential well resampling will take place this summer, to capture seasonal homes.
Vij added that those who participated in the resampling received result letters with specific recommendations, and he encouraged these residents to continue following same. The recommendations vary according to the different areas of concern, meaning that someone in the Loud Drive area, for example, received different suggestions that someone in the Colbath Road area.
Vij then gave a reminder of the Oscoda Area PFAS Exposure Assessment, for which MDHHS is looking to determine the average PFAS blood levels of people who live or recreate in the Oscoda area.
Participants will be asked to give a small blood sample and to take a short survey about the ways they could potentially be exposed to PFAS.
Along with those who live in the Oscoda area, Vij said that the assessment is also for non-residents who may have hunted, fished or otherwise recreated in the area after 2012. This also includes those who may have come in contact with the PFAS-laden foam which has appeared on water bodies in the community. Their average PFAS blood level will be determined, after which individual results will be mailed.
An average result from the overall group of participants will also be compiled, and will be compared to other data. Vij pointed out that this is an exposure assessment, not a health study, so there cannot be associations between blood levels and health effects.
In the latest Community Advisory Team meeting on Jan. 31, he said that the team reviewed recruitment materials and gave important feedback to MDHHS. “At this point, we are in the planning and development phase, and planning to start recruitment for this exposure assessment in summer of this year.”
In reference to the well resampling, Need Our Water representative and local community member Cathy Wusterbarth asked how residents can request a resampling of their well, if they weren’t identified for the recent testing or retesting.
Vij said that if any resident is looking for this information, they can contact him and he will reach out to EGLE to see if the well is in an area of concern. “And then we can act accordingly. If it’s in an area of concern, then yes, we can resample.” Vij can be reached by phone at either 517-582-4104 or 800-648-6942, or via e-mail at VijP@Michigan.gov.
Given the continuous discovery of PFAS in unexpected areas throughout the Oscoda and AuSable communities, Wusterbarth also asked if the state will consider providing filters to any homeowner with a private well.
As explained by Vij, it depends on whether that kind of a public health action is needed. But point-of-use filters are being provided with any detection in most of the areas, such as AuSable Township, the Colbath area and Loud Drive. So, even if there is a detection of 1 ppt, then filters will be provided. “But it really depends on the area and the information that we have.”
An update was shared by EGLE Site Lead/WAFB Program Manager Beth Place, as well.
Since PFAS were discovered at Wurtsmith in 2010, by former site manager Robert Delaney, Place said that GW, surface water, fish, wildlife and residential wells have all been sampled, in addition to several research projects which have been going on at WAFB. Information on these studies is available at michigan.gov/Wurtsmith, on the MPART website.
As for the Air Force’s (AF) PFAS response, she said that this has included the preliminary assessment and site inspection phases, under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). Things are now in the remedial investigation (RI) phase of CERCLA, to determine the nature and extent of PFAS from WAFB.
Place said that in addition to completing a focus feasibility study at WAFB’s former fire training area (FT-02), which resulted in the FT-02 pump-and-treat system (PTS), the AF has completed such removal actions as treating the discharge for other PTSs and treatment systems at the site.
As has been reported, the AF is also currently conducting two interim remedial actions (IRAs) – the VEL at Ken Ratliff Memorial Park IRA and the FT-02 at Clark’s Marsh IRA – and recently completed a time-critical soil removal action at FT-02.
All of these Wurtsmith-related documents are available on the AF administrative record site, at https://ar.afcec-cloud.af.mil/.
As for the RI, Place said that the AF completed a portion of the fieldwork this past year, carrying out soil and existing MW sampling, as well as vertical aquifer sampling (VAS). The AF intends to start the fieldwork back up in April, weather permitting, and they will continue with VAS, sediment and surface water sampling.
Place noted that the AF just finalized the work plan the week before the webinar, and that not all of EGLE’s comments were resolved in the plan. So the department is still discussing a path forward, and there will be more details on this soon.
AF and EGLE will also get together for a systematic project planning meeting in April, to discuss the progress from the last field season.
With the VEL IRA, Place said that the AF is installing extraction wells along the western shore, to establish a hydrogeologic barrier to prevent PFAS-contaminated water from entering the lake in this area.
“We’re still finalizing the documents on that,” she said. But this should be turned around rather quickly, with any changes incorporated, after which EGLE will get the documents back to the AF.
Place went on to describe the progress being made to expand WAFB’s central treatment system, which was among the systems summarized in last week’s edition of the Oscoda Press, and said that the AF intends to have this up and running in the spring.
Another response action the AF is leading is the FT-02 at Clark’s Marsh IRA, with Place saying that significant work on this has already been done; the documents are in place; the remedial action work plan has been reviewed; the record of decision is established; some of the work to install the extraction wells has been completed; and the Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements have been agreed to. “And really, it’s just construction of the building that’s going on right now.”
In other updates, Place said that it was in February 2021 when EGLE requested that the AF sample the engineered wetland treatment system at landfill (LF) 30-31 for PFAS in the effluent. This was completed during the expanded site inspection phase, and the results were slightly above GW-SW interface (GSI) criteria for PFOS.
The AF tested the effluent at LF 30-31 again last summer, when they started the RI, and sampled some of the wells in that area, too. The results of the effluent were similar and were slightly above the GSI criteria for PFOS, which is 12 ppt. Place said she believes that the results were about 13-14 ppt.
She added that EGLE asked the AF to conduct sampling of the effluent on a monthly basis, along with the other sampling that they do at the wetland treatment system. “And so far we have not received a response to that letter.”
In March of last year, EGLE also asked for an additional IRA near the FT-02/Mission Street capture zone, which had some results above the GSI criteria, as well.
“And some of those concentrations are actually quite high,” Place said.
She commented that, although the delineation of nature and extent is still going on, EGLE feels that there is sufficient information right now to implement an RI at the source. “And currently, we have not received a response from Air Force on that letter, either. And we did submit a follow-on request to get responses to those letters in December of this year, as well.”
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The 2021 special section for Veterans Day includes veterans information for Iosco County, as well as some of the stories covered over the past year concerning Iosco County's many veterans activities.
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