Back in November, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy announced they would be testing homes around Wexford-Missaukee Career Tech Center for PFAS.
That came after elevated levels of PFAS were found in the school’s drinking water.
Now, the results have come back from the homes sampled on John R Rd.
According to EGLE, there were 3 homes with PFAS detections above MDHHS Comparison Values.
One exceeded the value for PFNA, which is the PFAS compound detected at CTC. The home tested at 19 ppt for PFNA, and the MDHHS comparison value is 6 ppt.
Another home exceeded the value for PFOS, and the third home exceeded the values for both PFOS and PFOA. These homes exceeded the Comparison Values by 2 parts per trillion.
Amber Lowe’s home tested positive for the exceeded PFNA compound.
“I bought this house from my parents and I’ve lived here since 1996,” she said. “I’ve been drinking the well water since 1996, so it is a little concerning.”
Lowe says her family has been staying away from the well water and instead drinking bottled water.
“When I made the menu for this week, I picked items that didn’t require boiling water or using any kind of water for cooking,” Lowe said.
District Health Department #10 is offering point of view filters for the homes that tested positive.
“We’ll provide the filters, cover the plumbing costs, and then individuals will be able to get set up with replacement cartridges from the health department so that they can continue to use the system,” said DHD #10 Health Officer Kevin Hughes.
Homeowners will be notified this week of their options.
“As homes or the area expands in additional homes where detections of exceedance are found, we’ll continue to provide filters and plumbing access,” Hughes said.
While the Lowe family will be using the point of view filters, they’re looking for a long term solution.
“I don’t know what a long term solution would be, whether it be drilling a completely new well, but then I don’t think even that is guaranteed that there wouldn’t be pfas in that,” said Lowe.
EGLE says they’re planning on expanding their PFAS testing to homes west of John R Road within the next few months.
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