Peters, Stabenow, Kildee Urge Air Force to Comprehensively Address PFAS Contamination, Meet Michigan Standards Near Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base

DETROIT, MI – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) and U.S. Representative Dan Kildee (MI-05) urged the U.S. Air Force to take more significant steps to address PFAS contamination in Van Etten Lake near the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base. In their letter, the members expressed their concerns that the Air Force’s proposed remediation plan fails to comprehensively address PFAS contamination by only covering part of the plume in question. They additionally called on the Air Force to meet the State of Michigan’s standards for addressing PFAS contamination.

“As you are aware, the residents of Oscoda have been subjected to harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their groundwater and waterways—including at Van Etten Lake—for many years,” the lawmakers wrote. “The contamination is a result of the use of firefighting foam containing PFAS used by the Air Force at Wurtsmith. While we acknowledge the Air Force’s work to initiate remediation and prepare the proposed IRA, it is insufficient to address PFAS contamination coming from Wurtsmith and abate the imminent and substantial threats to human health and the environment from PFAS contamination in the Van Etten Lake area.”

“By choosing to focus on one part of one plume area in the proposed IRA, we are concerned that this and adjacent PFAS plumes will continue to spread unabated,” the lawmakers continued. “We urge the Air Force to ensure the number, location, and length and depth of extraction wells accurately capture the entire PFAS contamination entering Van Etten Lake. Doing so will help ensure that the continued imminent threats to human health, fish, wildlife, and the environment from PFAS contamination are addressed.”

The Air Force recently proposed an Interim Remedial Action (IRA) plan to guide cleanup in Van Etten Lake near the former Wurtsmith Air Force base. However, the plan only focuses on one particular contamination area, which fails to reflect the full scope of PFAS contamination entering Van Etten Lake. The plan also does not meet the State of Michigan’s standards for addressing PFAS contamination.

The full text of the letter can be found below or click here.

Dear Dr. Varley,

As lifelong residents of Michigan and members of its congressional delegation, we write to submit our comments for the record with regards to the United States Air Force’s proposed Interim Remedial Action (IRA) plan for Van Etten Lake near the former Wurtsmith Air Force base (Wurtsmith).

As you are aware, the residents of Oscoda have been subjected to harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their groundwater and waterways—including at Van Etten Lake—for many years. The contamination is a result of the use of firefighting foam containing PFAS used by the Air Force at Wurtsmith. While we acknowledge the Air Force’s work to initiate remediation and prepare the proposed IRA, it is insufficient to address PFAS contamination coming from Wurtsmith and abate the imminent and substantial threats to human health and the environment from PFAS contamination in the Van Etten Lake area.

Multiple stakeholders have shared concerns that the Air Force plume maps and plans do not accurately represent how much contamination is actually entering Van Etten Lake, and we urge the Air Force to work with the State of Michigan to ensure adequate testing and sampling. For example, the proposed IRA currently calls for 12 extraction wells across what is considered the worst plume entering Van Etten Lake, yet it only covers part of that plume versus the entirety of the plume in question. While this should dramatically reduce the contaminants entering the southern end of the lake, contaminated areas around Wurtsmith will continue bleeding PFAS into the lake and thus lead to continued toxic surfactant foaming and attendant threats to human health.

By choosing to focus on one part of one plume area in the proposed IRA, we are concerned that this and adjacent PFAS plumes will continue to spread unabated. We urge the Air Force to ensure the number, location, and length and depth of extraction wells accurately capture the entire PFAS contamination entering Van Etten Lake. Doing so will help ensure that the continued imminent threats to human health, fish, wildlife, and the environment from PFAS contamination are addressed.

We additionally wish to register our continued frustration at the Air Force’s unwillingness to utilize the surface water discharge criteria established by the State of Michigan as Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements (ARAR). The Air Force has stated that the discharge system included in the proposed IRA “uses best available technology that produces a discharge with at or near non-detectable levels entering Van Etten Lake.” As we noted in a previous letter sent this spring regarding the proposed IRA for Clark’s Marsh, rather than risk doing less now than what will ultimately be required, the Air Force should instead prioritize human health and meet Michigan’s state standards for addressing PFAS contamination from the start of the remediation process. This would also have the added benefit of preventing unnecessary expenditures of taxpayer money on enhancing treatment down the line.

Finally, in light of the recently released Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General report evaluating DoD’s use of PFAS at military sites around the country and the exposure of both military personnel and civilians living near military sites, we were pleased to see that the Air Force engaged in a more transparent rollout surrounding the Van Etten Lake proposed IRA than had occurred for the Clark’s Marsh proposed IRA this spring. We urge you to continue with meaningful and substantive community engagement with Oscoda stakeholders.

Thank you for your consideration.

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