Webinar on PFAS Ecological Risks
Want to learn more about how PFAS contamination may affect wildlife? SERDP and ESTCP are hosting a free webinar titled Advancing in Understanding PFAS Ecological Risks on April 8, 2021 at 11 AM CST.
More info and registration at: https://www.serdp-estcp.org/Tools-and-Training/Webinar-Series/04-08-2021
CSWAB Joins Wisconsin PFAS Advisory Group
CSWAB was recently invited by WDNR Secretary Preston Cole to serve on the newly-formed PFAS External Advisory Group – a collaborative forum for the Department to solicit constructive feedback on PFAS initiatives in Wisconsin. Members include stakeholders, community members and interested parties from both private and public sectors. The next virtual meeting of the External Advisory Group is set for Tuesday, May 4 from 1-3 pm. All meetings are open to the public.
More at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/PFAS/PEAG.html
Badger Army Meeting on Cleanup Set for April 29
The Army is planning to hold its next public Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting as a virtual meeting on April 29th at 6 p.m. The agenda will include an update on the groundwater modeling effort at Badger Army Ammunition Plant, an update on the site inspection at former Settling Pond 2 (last year’s underground burn site) and a discussion from the WDNR regarding PFAS.
If you are not a RAB member and would like to participate, please contact Kay Toye at 302-313-1770 or kay.toye@envrg.com and she will provide information on how to join the virtual meeting by computer or phone.
Responsible Parties Must Report ALL Contaminants in Drinking Water
The Wisconsin DNR issued a letter in August 2020 directing JCI/Tyco in Marinette to report ALL PFAS compounds as detections in the laboratory analytical reports. Previously, the notification letters issued to residents only reported detected concentrations of PFOA and PFOS. Other unreported detections included pesticides and lead. Such disclosure is required by both state and federal law.
The WDNR letter is posted here.
Safety of WI Drinking Water Must Consider PFAS Mixtures
The Wisconsin DNR has formally adopted a method recommended by state health officials to assess the safety of drinking water when a mixture of PFAS chemicals is present, providing much-needed clarity about when temporary emergency water should be provided by the state or responsible party.
View the guidance issued by the Division of Health here.
WDNR Confirms Non-PFAS Contaminants Extend Off-site from JCI/Tyco
Our Question to WDNR: What is the potential for non-PFAS contaminants [Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), petroleum-based chemicals, etc.] to be present off-site from all of the JCI/Tyco facilities/sites in the Marinette area?
WDNR Reply to CSWAB dated March 26 (2021):
Thank you for your question. Other contaminants have been identified extending off-site from JCI/Tyco’s Fire Training Center (FTC) and Stanton Street sites in Marinette.
FTC: Petroleum and chlorinated VOCs impacts to groundwater extend off-site.
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- BRRTS 03-38-001345
- Link to Site Investigation Report
- Helpful figure from Site Investigation Report is here
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Stanton Street: Arsenic impacts to groundwater extend off-site. (Also, every five years JCI/Tyco is required to sample for an expanded suite of analytes including VOCs. VOC impacts remain on the property.)
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- BRRTS 02-38-000011
- RCRA Corrective Action Site
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- Arsenic data are summarized in annual reports
- VOC data last summarized in the 2018 report
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Please feel free to reach out to Angela Carey if you have further questions. -end-
Wisconsin Providing Drinking Water to French Island Residents
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and several other state agencies are working to provide bottled water to residents of French Island with private drinking wells that may be contaminated with harmful “forever chemicals.” The island has 1,200 private wells and PFAS chemicals have been found in 180 of them, while other residents await test results.
Read the full Wisconsin Examiner article here.
National Study on Medical Monitoring for PFAS and Health Outcomes
Federal health agencies are seeking public input on a study that will provide advice for clinicians about PFAS blood and urine testing, such as when to test, whom to test, and what to test for. The National Academies of Sciences (NAS) will be hosting a series of virtual meetings to solicit feedback from the public.
The online session for the central region of the U.S. is set for May 6 from 2 to 6 pm CT. Mark your calendars but note that registration is not yet open. More at https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/guidance-on-pfas-testing-and-health-outcomes
An easy-to-read FACT SHEET on medical monitoring for PFAS is here.
P.S. Wisconsin organizations serving as Community Liaisons as part of this study include: CSWAB (represented by Laura Olah), S.O.H20 (Andrea Rich) and Wisconsin Environmental Health Network (Dr. Elizabeth Neary).
More on liaisons at https://cswab.org/pfas/pfas-library/. Scroll down to “Medical Monitoring – NAS Community Liaison Documents”.
Vapor Intrusion Webinar – Acute Risk Associated with TCE
The WDNR is hosting a free webinar Tuesday, April 20, 2021, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The presentation is a discussion of the acute risk associated with trichloroethylene (TCE) in vapors and the need to prioritize vapor investigations when TCE is a contaminant of concern.
More at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Brownfields/Training.html
How Citizen Sleuths Cracked the Wolverine Tannery Pollution Case
MINNESOTA – “If it wasn’t for that group being a thorn in the city’s side, it would have been so easy to sweep this under the rug,” said Jennifer Carney, who, in 2017, found out her drinking water on Chandler Drive in Belmont was contaminated by Wolverine’s House Street dump. “There’s not many people now-a-days who will stick their neck out like that.”
https://cswab.org/news-action/how-to-help/
References:
Tyco JCI Fire Training Center FTC Groundwater VOC Figure from SI Report
(Photograph: Male Eastern Bluebird at Badger Army Ammunition Plant, CSWAB)