The PFAS Project Lab

Studying Social, Scientific, and Political Factors of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Alpena County, Michigan

Alpena County is home to two separate sources of contamination: Alpena Hide and Leather, which used PFAS to treat it’s leather products, and Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC), which used PFAS-containing firefighting foam.

alpena-crtc-pfas-testingjpg-35048b3b5915fab9
Map showing where the Michigan National Guard’s PFAS testing at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (Map: U.S. AFCEC)

Alpena CRTR: The DEQ became aware of this site after the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs informed the DEQ that a groundwater sample on-base tested positive for PFOA/PFOS. The majority of drinking water at Alpena CRTC is provided by the municipal supply. The DEQ began sampling residential wells on November 7, 2017.

Alpena Hide and Leather: PFAS was confirmed at a vacant property on the former tannery in Alpena in August 2017. Efforts have been made to remove buried hides and contaminated soil from the former tannery. Since sampling 8 monitoring wells that August, the DEQ has installed additional monitoring wells and taken soil samples. Municipal water is being provided to residents in the area.


Additional Resources:

Media Coverage:

Full citations are available on the second page of the full contamination site tracker. We ask for your additions, changes, questions and comments be sent to pfasproject@gmail.com.

%d bloggers like this: