Suspected contamination source: Firefighting foam used at former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB) (MDCH, 2015)
Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base that was in use from 1920-1993. Firefighting foam (AFFF) used at Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB) is believed to have contaminated ground water in the area and potentially causing chronic diseases in veterans and those who lived on the base.
Decades-old water found inside fire hydrants at the base may prove that military veterans and families stationed in northern Michigan were drinking water contaminated with PFASs. One hydrant on the base, No. 57, tested at 7,400 ppt for PFOS/PFOA. The EPA lifetime health advisory level for PFOS/PFOA is 70 ppt. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) examined about 240 hydrants and found measurable water in 22. The stagnant water has sat untouched in catch basins outside the pipes that connect the hydrants to the main water lines.
The catch basins are underground, but above the water table level.
Fish in Clark’s Marsh and several small lakes south of the base have tested for PFOS at the highest levels ever detected. A “Do Not Eat” advisory was issued for native fish species in the Au Sable River below Foote Dam in 2012.
Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a bill meant to force the U.S. military to supply safe drinking water to Oscoda residents whose wells are polluted with toxic chemicals leaching from the closed Wurtsmith Air Force Base, but it’s not clear whether the Pentagon is interested in following the new law. Public Act 545 of 2016 amends the state Safe Drinking Water Act to require the state or federal government provide an “alternative water supply” to affected private residential well owners if state health officials have issued a drinking water advisory and the government is the source of the pollution.
Additional Resources:
- DEQ Investigation — Former Wurtsmith AFB
- Former Wurtsmith AFB PFAS Contamination — MDHHS Updates
- Measuring Perfluorinated Compounds in Michigan Surface Waters and Fish
- Perfluorinated Chemicals in Drinking Water Wells in Oscoda Township Responses to Community Concerns as of June 6, 2016
- Frequently Asked Questions about the PFOS Contamination at the Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base
- Study: Occurrence and persistence of perfluorooctanesulfonate and other perfluorinated surfactants in groundwater at a fire-training area at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, USA
Media Coverage:
- Oscoda toxic PFC groundwater plumes approaching Lake Huron
- Old hydrant water may prove veterans were poisoned in Oscoda
- Wurtsmith toxic chemical plumes expand south of Au Sable River
- Fear and fury in Michigan town where Air Force contaminated water
- Senators to Pentagon: Comply with Michigan PFAS rules
- Rally for action kicks off latest RAB meeting in Oscoda
Full citations are available on the second page of the full contamination site tracker. We ask for your additions, changes, questions and comments to be sent to pfasproject@gmail.com.