Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Continued sampling is taking place after PFAS was detected in some residential groundwater wells in Genoa Township.

Around 25 residents attended a public information meeting held Wednesday evening at the Genoa Township Hall for those affected by PFAS in ground water downstream of the former Oak Pointe WWTP.

Officials said there is concern but they don’t believe there is cause for any major panic as PFAS are found nearly everywhere and there are thousands of compounds today.

Per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances or PFAS are a large group of man-made chemicals that have been used globally during the past century in manufacturing, firefighting, and thousands of common household and other consumer products.

In attendance at the meeting were township officials, along with representatives from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy or EGLE; the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or MDHHS; and the Livingston County Health Department.

Residents were informed about the situation and how PFAS reached some residential wells in the Glenway Drive and Brighton Road area.

The former Oak Pointe WWTP was decommissioned back in 2015 due to elevated discharge levels of sodium and chloride – attributed to water softeners. After the groundwater discharge was terminated, the plant was converted to an equalization pump station and a force main was constructed from Oak Pointe to the Genoa-Oceola WWTP. That plant is a surface water discharge facility.

Long term sodium and chloride plume monitoring resulted – and officials said that plume has been steadily shrinking since the project was completed. Since the sodium and chloride levels exceeded generic drinking water screening levels, the township and state entered into a consent judgment that included a response plan for impacted homes.

Fast forward to 2022, EGLE requested the township sample monitoring wells for PFAS as part of the ongoing sodium and chloride sampling.

EGLE leads the site investigations while MDHHS and the local Health Department lead public health planning and response. Exposures are evaluated and response actions are recommended as needed.

With the chloride plume shrinking and a lack of industrial users, Genoa Township Utility Director Greg Tatara said they did not anticipate any problems and were somewhat “shocked” by the results.

Tatara said the site was selected to look for PFAS prevalence in wastewater effluents primarily because they were already a historical monitoring network. He told WHMI only 30 of the 2,100 groundwater discharge plants in Michigan have been sampled so far – meaning they’re only at the “very tip of the iceberg” with regard to understanding the full extent of the problem in the state.

Three rounds of local sampling was done. Tatara said the first involved checking monitoring wells downgrade of the site, where PFAS was detected. From there, he says they checked homes that had the highest likelihood of having potential PFAS impact – which they did find. After that, Tatara says they sampled every home on the street to provide additional data. With the initial data, he noted they’re not sure how PFAS is moving and traveling through groundwater.

Tatara said five homes had PFAS in non-treated water above the drinking water standard of 8-ppt or parts-per-trillion for PFOA. He said four others had detection but none above drinking water standards. The remaining 22 sample results won’t be known until September. Tatara added they have only seen one PFAS analyte – PFOA- above criteria for drinking water standards. There is a limit of 8-ppt and he said they’ve seen concentrations as high as 23-ppt.

Concerns are widespread as the chemicals don’t break down easily in the environment, are hard to get rid of, and can bio-accumulate or build up in bodies. Some PFAS can also affect health, and it was stated some of the most common types are already in the blood levels of people.

Research is ongoing to understand potential health effects and reduce exposure. Officials acknowledged during the meeting there are still a lot of unknowns, due to emerging science and information.

Compounding the issue is a lack of federal and state standards, and safe or “acceptable” levels are unknown. The EPA does not have a formal maximum contaminant level, which could be coming this fall, and there are no effluent limits for PFAS from wastewater plants. Further, there are no requirements for manufacturers to disclose PFAS chemicals in products or regulations to limit their use.

PFAS can infiltrate directly into groundwater, via wastewater as a direct discharge into rivers and streams, or through wastewater treatment plants from homes and businesses. PFAS treated material - such as shampoos, toilet paper, laundry and dishwater liquids and others - move from homes into wastewater treatment plants.

Exposure to PFAS chemicals comes from drinking contaminated water, eating fish caught from contaminated water, incidental swallowing of contaminated soil or dust, eating food packaged in materials containing PFAS, and using some consumer products. State officials did note that PFAS absorption through skin is typically not a concern as it acts as a pretty good natural barrier.

Michigan was said to be one of a few states working to get ahead of the situation and actively responding. Sites are being investigated and monitored across the state, which are prioritized based on known or suspected sources and potential for exposure.

State officials commended the township for being proactive during the meeting, noting many communities aren’t as receptive. However, funding was said to be very limited as testing is costly, along with response efforts.

Municipalities are frustrated as they would be held liable for contamination when it’s not being addressed at the source and it’s too late once PFAS are in water systems or reach treatment plants.

Response actions vary at the state level. No public health actions could be deemed necessary and well water use could continue. Filters or alternate water could also be recommended and provided in some cases to provide protection from potential fluctuations in levels while investigations are underway. Point-of-use filter systems were also acknowledged as a band-aid. Other steps involve continued sampling and monitoring, along with education on PFAS in drinking water.

For the identified homes in Genoa Township, potential protective actions have been identified. Those include additional sampling and monitoring as necessary, providing bottled water for homes with PFAS above criteria until reverse osmosis units are available, continued maintenance of reverse osmosis units, and evaluating alternative drinking water sources including municipal supply – although that’s not likely financially feasible.

Tatara said there is nothing that can be done to limit the introduction of PFAS into the waste stream and no wastewater treatment plant processes currently remove it. There’s also nothing he’s aware of at the federal or state levels to address PFAS at the source. He also emphasized that there is no requirement for manufacturers to disclose if PFAS is present or to limit their use in products.

In addition to firefighting foam; the “forever chemicals” can be found in eye make-up, toilet paper, plumbing fixtures, food packaging, carpets, shampoo, waterproof clothing, dental floss, cleaning products, paints and sealants, pizza boxes, popcorn bags, stain resistant products, pesticides, non-stick cookware, and dishwasher aids among many others. Contact lenses alone were said to contain 50,000 times above the drinking water standard for PFAS.

As for the level of concern, Tatara said PFAS is in everything that people use on a daily basis. When examining an ingredient list, he said “poly-fluoro” and “fluoro” are a good indication the product contains PFAS compounds. Tatara said the biggest thing is to avoid ingestion and people can help protect themselves by drinking filtered water and taking other steps to limit exposure but the chemicals are everywhere and in people’s blood.

Tatara said there are not extremely high concentrations and many were slightly above the detection levels for drinking water standards. He said the thinks there is concern and they have to be diligent but doesn’t feel it’s a “panic” or a severe high-risk situation.

Tatara stressed they are taking the situation seriously and trying to gather as much data as possible initially.

For any homes with PFAS above drinking water standards, as they did with sodium and chloride historically, Tatara says they provide residents with a point-of-use reverse osmosis system for the primary drinking water source in their home. For others with detections, he says they work with the state and local health departments to provide residents with point-of-use carbon filtration systems certified for PFAS removal.

Tatara noted they’ve mostly self-funded the investigations thus far. He said the state has funding for point-of-use filters but nothing else is really available at this point to help with full scale permanent remediation or ultimate treatment sources for people.

The initial PFAS investigation has cost the township roughly $44,000 to date, which was solely funded by sewer system operating and maintenance rates. Over $1 (m) million has been spent on the sodium chloride investigation, monitoring, and maintenance of reverse osmosis systems for residents.

Tatara concluded by saying there are a lot of unknowns and ever-changing science and understanding each day but stressed they are doing their best to try to help and protect residents in the constantly evolving situation. He added they’re adapting and working as quickly as they can with the limited amount of information available.

More information about the state PFAS response and data is available in the provided link.