Defense Department to target ‘forever chemicals’ contamination near military base
The U.S. Department of Defense plans to install two more groundwater treatment systems at a former military base in Michigan to control contamination from so-called forever chemicals, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s office announced Friday.
Environmentalists say the systems will help prevent PFAS from spreading to the Clarks Marsh area and the Au Sable River near the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda on the shores of Lake Huron. The base was closed in 1993 as part of a base realignment.
PFAS, an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are compounds that do not break down in the environment. They are linked to a host of health problems, including low birth weight and kidney cancer. The chemicals are found in a wide range of products, including nonstick cookware, food packaging and firefighting foam that airports use to fight fires caused by plane crashes.
Pentagon documents show that at least 385 military bases across the country are contaminated with PFAS, mainly from firefighting foam used during training.
DOD data released in 2021 showed that PFAS had been found in the groundwater around Wurtsmith at levels up to 213,000 parts per trillion. Federal regulators proposed limits of 4 parts per trillion in drinking water in March. State officials have warned people not to eat fish, venison or small game caught in and around Clarks March and parts of the Au Sable and to avoid contact with all surface water and shoreline scum in Oscoda.
The Defense Department announced in August that it would install two groundwater treatment systems near the base. The two new systems would complement those systems.
“This announcement is a milestone for Oscoda and the surrounding communities,” Slotkin said in a news release. “I will continue to urge the Pentagon to quickly implement these measures and address other cases of PFAS contamination at facilities in Michigan and across the country.”
Tony Spaniola, co-chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, has been pushing the Pentagon to clean up the PFAS contamination around Wurtsmith since he was told in 2016 that the water near his Oscoda cabin was not safe to drink. In a statement in Slotkin’s press release, he called the additional systems “a milestone.” The effort should serve as a model for cleanups of other contaminated military installations, he said.