PFAS Cleanup

Management is changing at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. Defense officials say the new structure will improve transparency and the cleanup of toxic "forever chemicals."

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) recently sent a letter to the Department of Defense, demanding a detailed plan to address contaminated military sites.

Calls for urgency aren't new among Oscoda residents, but a revised timeline that pushes PFAS systems on the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base back by roughly two years is catching flack.

The National Science Foundation has given a Marquette, Michigan company a grant to research whether some types of fungi can break down or otherwise destroy PFAS.

At a recent public meeting, Oscoda residents expressed their frustration that a cleanup system to reduce contamination in the Au Sable River is still years away from being built.

Spaniola said it's been a whirlwind after the Environmental Protection Agency implemented federal drinking water standards for PFAS and then listed two of the chemicals as "hazardous substances."

Grayling residents are calling on the Department of Defense to pitch in and fund a project that would bring clean drinking water to contaminated parts of their community.

Oscoda residents got a few wins after the Air Force recently expanded PFAS cleanup actions, but community members say certain areas are being overlooked.

Locations in Oscoda, Grayling and Mount Clemens have made the list of nearly 40 communities where the DOD will implement PFAS cleanup actions this year.

WCMU's Teresa Homsi toured Camp Grayling this past fall and is tuned into the PFAS cleanup process. She brings an overview of some ongoing National Guard initiatives.