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Water testing near CRTC to begin soon

ALPENA — Well water testing for home and property owners in about a one-mile radius of Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center is going to begin in mid to late November.

The information from the tests will help to determine if chemicals used at the base from firefighting training and response has infiltrated the groundwater beyond CRTC.

At a public meeting at the base Wednesday, state and local environmental and health experts updated residents on the perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid detected at the base. They also laid out the plan of action on how testing will be done and what measures could be taken if high levels of the chemicals are found in wells.

A map of private property surrounding the base which have wells was created and people who have wells within the area, or have ones that are not shown in the map are urged to sign up for testing because it can not be conducted without consent. According to DEQ Senior Geologist David Lindsay people can sign up for testing at www.michigan.gov/deq/alpena or at the local health department. Letters will be sent out and personal visits will also be made to homes.

Lindsay said after the tests are conducted it will take about six weeks to be returned and as results a map of areas that have contamination will be created. Anyone who has drinking water that detects PFOA or PFOS will be provided bottled water, or a faucet filter.

Lindsay said PFOA and PFOS were detected at five different wells on the base, but as of now it is not known if the contamination is still on base property or if a plume has moved beyond it. He said testing will help DEQ determine how far the plume has moved, where it is headed and potentially how many people will be impacted.

District Health Department Officer Denise Bryan, who also serves District Health No. 2, has been working on the same issue Alpena faces, in Oscoda. She said people need to submit to testing and warned the process will be slow. Bryan said the goal is to protect people and animals and those who have any questions can call the health department.

“This is a journey that won’t be over in a few short months,” she said. “We will be methodical and take action based on facts, but still be sensitive to the human side of the story. Our goal is to protect people.”

At this point there are more questions than answers, Lindsay said. He said as test results come in and data is calculated a map of contamination can be made and a plan of action created. He said if high levels of PFOA and PFOS in wells are found within the one-mile testing area, it is likely the area will be expanded out until low levels or none of the chemicals are found. Lindsay said that will take time.

“There are only nine labs that test for this and they are getting this from all over the country, so there is a back-log,” he said. “We are working as quickly as we can and doing what we can to make this right.”

Suez is the company that manages City of Alpena water and sewer operations and provides drinking water as far out into Alpena Township as the airport and base. Utility Manager Mike Glowinski said the company uses activated carbon filters on filter beds and is confident the chemical will be neutralized if it had seeped into Thunder Bay. Suez will also be helping to provide treated drinking water to people who have positive tests if they so choose. Glowinski said there will be two locations where people can fill containers. One at the billing office on Harbor Drive and a second at the DPW facility.

Base Commander Col. Andrew Roberts also addressed the crowd. He said the state has all hands on deck to overcome the issue and the local military will do anything it can to assist.

We have been in this community for a long time and are a part of it,” Roberts said. “Our kids go to school here. Our retirees live here. We found out about this at almost the same time you did and we are learning the same as you. We love it here and want to make sure this is corrected.”

Wednesday’s meeting will only be one of many, which will provide updates. Lindsay said there would be more as time moves forward and more is learned about the extent of the contamination. For now however people are asked to check for frequent updates on the state’s website, which should be on-line soon or to call District Health Department No. 4 if they have any questions.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via email at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter ss_alpenanews.

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz

Adjutant General Michigan National Guard Greg Vadnais addressed the crowd and told them it is all ‘hands on deck’ to solve the water contamination issue and to make sure people have clean drinking water.

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