A plan to address toxic “forever chemicals” leaching into the Au Sable River is being delayed by roughly two more years. Some Oscoda residents say they feel "betrayed" by this revised timeline.
In May, Oscoda residents called on the U.S. Air Force to expedite PFAS cleanup on the former Wurtsmith Air Force base. The USAF is now changing its schedule and pushing back the implementation of two cleanup systems to 2029.
Oscoda resident and PFAS advocate, Cathy Wusterbarth said the decision is a major breach of trust, especially after a Department of Defense policy promised to “address PFAS releases as quickly as possible.”
“They're actually going to be put in place with the final remedial actions for the entire base," Wusterbarth said. "So those plumes of PFAS are going to continue to flow off the base for another four years."
In an email to WCMU, Steve Willis, who represents the USAF on the Wurtsmith Restoration Advisory Board, said the updated timeline corrects errors in the previous schedule. He said the department will "work to identify opportunities to accelerate the schedule."
According to the latest timeline presented at the Aug. 21 RAB meeting, cleanup systems for the two southern sites, which impact the Au Sable River, are now slated for construction to start at the end of 2028.
Remedial actions for DRMO and LF030/031, which impact Van Etten Lake on the northern end of the base, is also being pushed back. Construction of those systems is slated to be completed at the end of 2027, as opposed to mid-2026.
Willis said the initial May schedule was missing the work plan, field investigation and reporting, which adds about 18 months to the schedule.
"We already have IRAs (interim remedial actions) in the plan for Wurtsmith, and I don’t want to miss an opportunity for potential early implementation," Willis wrote. "It may be that these are finished as IRAs or in conjunction with the final remedy, but I’m not going to throw in the towel yet on IRAs."
Prior to the schedule change, Oscoda residents in May had already expressed frustration with the timeline, saying the lengthy process is endangering public health and the environment as high amounts of PFAS continue to trickle off the base.
"Time is our enemy, and human health is being destroyed," said community RAB member Scott Lingo in May. "... Can we cut down some red tape?"
Wusterbarth said residents plan to take their concerns about cleanup delays to top Pentagon officials in hopes of enforcing the July 11 DoD memo.
“It's definitely a bait and switch," Wusterbarth said. "The trust meter was increasing with this group, and it is now back down to zero. So we can't believe anything they say."
