The U.S. Air Force says it will prioritize the PFAS cleanup at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan, allocating an additional $13.5 million for the effort.
PFAS chemicals from firefighting activities on the base contaminated the groundwater nearby.
Aaron Weed is the Oscoda Township Supervisor.
He says he's glad to hear about the additional funding. But he says for eight years, he's been asking the Air Force to do an actual cleanup.
So he has lost trust.
"My concern is are they actually going to apply it to remediation action? And if they do, then that's wonderful," says Weed. "But in the past, they have resisted so much in trying to do proper remediation that there's a trust level that's been lost. I'm concerned that they're going to want to use it more for doing additional research. We already have a clear idea of where this contamination is and how to treat it."
In a letter, an Air Force official says the funding will be used for the "remedial investigation."
The remedial investigation provides critical information on the nature and extent of contamination to conduct interim remedial actions, if needed, including the construction of additional treatment systems or expansion of current treatment systems.
Weed says there are about 450 homes in an "area of concern," near the contaminated groundwater coming from the base.
He says about 120 homes have been taken off contaminated wells and hooked up to a municipal water system. Another 100 will be hooked up to the water system this year.
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