U.S. military officials say they're willing to pay for clean drinking water for people near Battle Creek, if tests show groundwater contamination comes from its base there.
Andrew Layton, a First Lieutenant with the Air National Guard, commented on the military’s liability in the contamination at a town hall meeting discussing PFAS in Battle Creek on Monday.
“We’re looking at the attribution for contamination, the Air National Guard is committed to providing alternative sources and working with our agency partners as needed absolutely,” Layton said.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality found contaminants from a family of chemicals known as PFAS in private wells near the Air National Guard base in Battle Creek.
Only one well of the 61 tested showed high levels of PFAS, but it was found to be nearly six times higher than the EPA’s 70 parts-per-trillion lifetime advisory.
PFAS chemicals were used in firefighting foam on the air base for many years before the military stopped using the foam in 2015.
Layton says testing results from groundwater on the base should be back by the end of summer.
It is unclear if Battle Creek will extend its municipal water system to homes in the state’s testing area.
